A croquembouche () or ''croque-en-bouche'' is a
French dessert consisting of
choux pastry
Choux pastry, or (), is a delicate pastry dough used in many pastries. The essential ingredients are butter, water, flour and eggs.
Instead of a raising agent, choux pastry employs its high moisture content to create steam, as the water in ...
puffs piled into a cone and bound with threads of
caramel. In Italy and France, it is often served at
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
s,
baptism
Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...
s and
First Communions.
Etymology
The name comes from the
French phrase ''croque en bouche'', meaning '
omething thatcrunches in the mouth'.
Presentation
A croquembouche is composed of (usually cream-filled)
choux piled into a cone and bound with spun sugar. It may also be decorated with other confectionery, such as sugared almonds, chocolate, and edible flowers. Sometimes it is covered in
macarons or
ganache.
History
The invention of the croquembouche is often attributed to
Antonin Carême, who includes it in his 1815 cookbook ''Le Pâtissier royal parisien'', but it is mentioned as early as 1806, in
André Viard's culinary encyclopedia ''
Le Cuisinier Impérial'', and
Antoine Beauvilliers' 1815 ''L'Art du Cuisinier''. In Viard's encyclopedia and other early texts (e.g.,
Grimod de La Reynière's, ''Néo-physiologie du gout''), it is included in lists of
entremets—elaborate dishes, both savory and sweet, that were served between courses during large banquets.
Records
On 6 March 2009, alumni of the
Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
-based Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology entered the ''
Limca Book of Records'' after creating India's biggest croquembouche. It was recorded as tall.
See also
*
List of French desserts
*
List of choux pastry dishes
This is a list of choux pastry dishes. Choux pastry, or ''pâte à choux,'' is a light pastry dough that contains only butter, water, flour and eggs. The high moisture content of the dough causes it to produce steam when cooked, which puffs the p ...
*
List of pastries
References
External links
Classic French Croquembouche
{{Pastries
Choux pastry
French desserts
Wedding food
Stuffed desserts