Homemade French Croquembouche Cream Puff

Preparing the choux pastry is the first step. In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, and salt over medium heat. Allow the butter to completely melt before adding the flour - this will help it incorporate more thoroughly. Stir rapidly until a dough forms and comes away from the sides of the pan. This should take about 4-5 minutes.

Next, transfer the dough to your mixer with paddle attachment and add the eggs one by one. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated in the dough before adding the next one. The final dough should be glossy and thick, yet pipeable. Understanding the correct consistency is crucial in choux pastry.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). With a pastry bag fitted with a round nozzle, pipe small mounds onto a lined baking sheet. Bake them in the preheated oven for approximately 20-25 minutes until the puffs turn golden brown. Tip: Do not open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking, it prevents the puffs from deflating.

While the pastries are in the oven, let's move on to the cream filling. Combine milk, half the sugar, and the vanilla beans in a saucepan over medium heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, remaining sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Once the milk is hot, slowly whisk it into the yolk mixture to temper the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and cook it over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it becomes thick like pudding.

For the caramel icing, heat sugar and water in a saucepan until it turns golden, this would take about 5-7 minutes. Careful being around the caramel, high heat sugar burns can be pretty serious.

Once everything is ready, assembly is the final step. Fill each cooled choux puff with the cream filling and join them together with caramel icing, building up in a pyramid shape.