Religieuses—Chocolate and Coffee
This is a classic French pastry supposedly modeled after the shape of a nun wearing the old-fashioned habit, hence the name for this variation on the éclair. A large, round cream-filled puff is glazed with fondant (icing), then topped with a smaller cream-filled and glazed puff. You can flavor the filling and glaze with either coffee or chocolate, or make some of each. However, nowadays religieuses have gotten more fashionable, and can be glazed with pink, purple, etc. This recipe makes a batch of assorted chocolate- and coffee- flavored religieuses. Fill the puffs and assemble as close to serving time as possible, so the choux pastry doesn’t get soggy.
Recipe adapted from that of PARIS BOULANGERIE – PÀTISSERIE in Thirteen Outstanding French Bakeries, by Linda Dannenberg.
Makes 8-10 pastries
PÂTE À CHOUX – Cream Puff Pastry
This is the basic pastry used for cream puffs and éclairs and it is one of the easiest pastries to make in the entire pâtissiere repertoire.
1 cup (250 ml) water
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ¾ sticks (200 g) unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1 2/3 cups (235 g) all-purpose flour
large eggs
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water (for egg wash just before baking)
- In a large heavy saucepan, combine the water, milk, salt, sugar and butter. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until butter melts and liquid is boiling. Meanwhile, sift the flour onto a sheet of wax paper. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour in a thin stream, using a wooden spoon to stir vigorously for 1 minute, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. This will dry the mixture out. Don’t over-cook at this stage.
- Add the 6-7 eggs one at a time and continue to mix until the dough is smooth. After the fifth egg, beat the last 2 individually, adding just as much you need so that when the mixture is lifted with a spoon, a peak stands up, then droops over slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 30 minutes.
The unbaked dough will keep well for 3 days, tightly sealed in the refrigerator. It can also be successfully frozen; however, it needs to be at room temperature before baking. Makes about 5 cups/1250 ml.
CRÈME PÂTISSIERE – Pastry Cream Filling
This is the basic crème pâtissiere, or cooked custard. It is used to fill éclairs, cream puffs, fruit tarts, and many other pastries.
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
for coffee filling: 1-2 tablespoons espresso or dark roast coffee
for chocolate filling: 2 oz (60 g) bittersweet chocolate, cut up and melted
- Combine the milk, vanilla bean and about half of the sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat and bring to boil. Meanwhile, in a medium-size mixing bowl whisk the yolks with the remaining sugar until they are pale and form a ribbon when dropped from whisk… about 4 minutes.
- Sift the flour and cornstarch into the egg yolk mixture and mix gently until blended.
- Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture while stirring, then return it to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to cook custard about 2 minutes. Strain the cream into a clean mixing bowl; if you are using vanilla extract, add it now. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the cream to prevent the formation of skin. Cool the pastry cream on a wire rack, then refrigerate until needed. The cream can be kept, covered and refrigerated, for 2-3 days.
FONDANT GLAZE (to be divided into two portions, for chocolate and coffee versions):
To make about 1 cup of a basic Fondant:
Approximately 3 cups (600 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/4 cup of water
A squirt of lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
Pour the water in a medium mixing bowl (or stand mixer). Add about 2 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar little by little, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in the lemon juice, add the butter and then continue to add as much additional confectioners’ sugar as needed to produce a thick glaze/icing that evenly coats the top of an éclair and stays where it is spread.
For coffee éclair glaze: 2-3 tablespoons espresso or dark roast coffee
For chocolate éclair glaze: 2 oz (60 g) bittersweet chocolate, melted
Syrup (if needed for glaze):
1/3 cup/60 g sugar
1/3 cup/ 70 ml water
Baking the Choux/pastry:
Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or butter and flour the baking sheets.
Fit a large pastry bag with a 5/8-inch/1 ½ cm plain tip. Spoon the choux pastry into the bag and gently press it down into the bottom of the bag. Holding the bag at a 45- degree angle to the pan, with the tip touching the paper, form 8-10 round puffs about 2 inches/5 cm wide (for the “bodies”), and 8-10 round puffs about 1 inch/2 ½ cm wide (for the “heads”). Make sure to space the puffs about 2 inch/5 cm apart; lift the tip of the pastry bag as each puff is formed. If it makes it easier, you can trace circles on the paper with a pencil to guide you. Brush all the puffs with the beaten egg wash.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the puff pastries have risen and are beginning to color.
Lower the oven to 350°F/175°C and continue to bake until the puffs are golden and dry, about 20 minutes longer. Cool the pan on wire rack.
Completing the Filling:
Prepare pastry cream as above. While it is still hot, divide it in half. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the espresso/coffee to half of the pastry cream; add the 2 oz melted chocolate to the rest of the pastry cream.
Place the coffee-flavored pastry cream in a pastry bag with a small plain tip about 3/8 inch/1 cm. Poke a hole in the bottom of puffs. Fill half of the puffs with the coffee pastry cream. You will feel when they are full by the weight. Place the chocolate pastry cream in another pastry bag with the same size tip and fill the remaining puffs.
Completing the Fondant Glaze:
For coffee fondant, heat half of the fondant (recipe above) in a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over simmering water. Stir in about 2-3 tablespoons of espresso/coffee until well combined. The fondant should be smooth and fluid. If it is too stiff, add a little syrup, made by bringing the sugar and water (see syrup recipe above) to boil over medium high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Keep the fondant over simmering water while you are working with it.
For chocolate fondant, heat the other half of the fondant in a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over simmering water. Stir in the 2 oz melted chocolate until well combined. The fondant should be smooth and fluid. If it is too stiff, add a little syrup as with the coffee fondant above.
Dip the tops of the large coffee-filled puffs in the coffee fondant, letting the excess drip off. Run your index finger around the edges of the fondant to smooth the edges. Dip the top of a smaller coffee-filled puff into the coffee fondant, and place the small puff atop the larger one, attaching it while the fondant is still warm. Repeat with the remaining puffs, then glaze and assemble the chocolate-filled puffs with the chocolate fondant.
For “Collar” Cream around the “Neck”:
The “collar” cream can be made using leftover fondant glaze (icing) mixed with a bit of heavy cream or hot water until smooth (so it will be easy to pipe); if you do not have enough fondant, simply use whipped heavy cream: 1 cup heavy cream whipped with 2-3 tablespoons sugar for white color; or whip in a little coffee/espresso, or a solution of cocoa powder + water, or something else for a different color.
Ideally, if using a flavored cream for the collar, the coffee-filled religieuse should use coffee cream and the chocolate-filled religieuse should use chocolate/cocoa cream.
Place the collar cream in a pastry bag with a small plain tip about 3/8 inch/1 cm. Pipe the cream on the base of each small choux ball (“head”) up to just below the glaze on top, forming a high ruffled collar. There is no requirement to make an exact ruffle- style collar, so pipe whatever you wish for interesting/pretty ruffles. Finally, you may pipe a “cap peak” on top of the small choux ball (head).
Refrigerate religieuses at least 10 minutes before serving. The fresher they are the better, so serve as soon as possible after preparing, ideally within 4 hours of filling the choux.