Name: Choux pastry swans
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 7 pieces
Cuisine: Belgian
Ingredients: 100 g water; 50 g butter; 75 g flour; 2-3 eggs; salt (pinch); 1/2 l milk; 100 g sugar; 1 sachet of vanilla sugar; 1 egg; 45 g custard powder; 120 g pineapple (finely chopped); 35 g sugar; 5 g potato starch; 13 g water; 400 g cream; 60 g sugar

Method

Get cooking

Preparing the choux pastry

Heat 100 g water and 50 g butter in a saucepan until the butter has completely melted.
When the mixture boils, remove the pan from the heat and add a pinch of salt and 75 g flour all at once. Stir well over a low heat for several minutes until a cohesive dough ball forms.
Now add the 2–3 eggs one at a time. Put the dough in a cold bowl and add the first egg. Stir well until absorbed.
Add the remaining eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition until you have a glossy, firm mixture. If it already has the right consistency, add only part of the last egg. Make sure the pan is no longer on the heat when adding the eggs.
Put the mixture in a piping bag with a plain nozzle (size 12) and pipe the swan bodies onto a tray lined with baking paper. Each body should be no more than 10 cm long and 3–4 cm thick.
Pipe the necks with a narrower nozzle or simply a piping bag with a smaller hole.
Bake the bodies and necks separately in an oven preheated to 200°C. This prevents the choux pastries from collapsing when the necks are removed, because the different parts need different baking times. Bake the bodies for 20–25 minutes until nicely golden brown.

Time range: choose the first timer to check progress or the last for the end of the stated time.
Bake the necks for approximately 10–15 minutes. Leave both to cool completely. Leave to cool completely.

Time range: choose the first timer to check progress or the last for the end of the stated time.

Preparing the crème pâtissière

Heat 0.5 l milk with 100 g sugar and 1 sachet of vanilla sugar until almost boiling.
Beat 1 egg and 45 g custard powder together until smooth.
Pour a little of the partly warmed milk into the egg mixture to temper it, then return this to the remaining milk in the saucepan once the milk boils.
Stir constantly until the cream thickens, then leave to cool.

Preparing the pineapple filling

Mix the finely chopped 120 g pineapple with 35 g sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
Dissolve the 5 g potato starch in 13 g water and add this to the boiling pineapple.
Boil briefly until the filling thickens. Leave to cool.

Whipping the cream

Whip the 400 g cream with the 60 g sugar until stiff.

Assembling the swans

Cut the tops off the choux pastries. Cut the tops in two to form the wings.
First pipe a layer of crème pâtissière onto the base, then add the pineapple filling. Pipe the whipped cream on top (size 12 star nozzle). Position the wings at a 45° angle, then fill the space between them with whipped cream in three short movements. Place the swan’s neck. Finish with a piece of pineapple on top and dust with icing sugar.

Background

Tips For an extra-festive presentation, dust the swans with icing sugar or decorate with melted chocolate. Replace the pineapple with other fruit, such as strawberries or raspberries, for variety. More choux pastries [wpupg-grid-with-filters id="soezen"] Source and inspiration: CVO Gent – Cooked and Shortcrust Doughs course.

Choux pastry swans

Ingredients

Choux pastry

Crème pâtissière

Pineapple filling

Whipped cream