Croquembouche

A friend of ours decided to hold a feast this past Saturday evening at she and her partner's cabin at Spring Lake. The setting was definitely beautiful, and although the plan to cook at the lake together all day didn't quite pan out, the dishes at the table were great - someone brought a pasta salad with lots of olives and peppers, our host made a pan of roasted beets, leeks and sweet potatoes, there were a couple loaves of home made bread, Moroccan lamb soup, Zed and I made tourtière and picked up a lovely roast from ACME Meat Market (9531 76 Avenue) to cook once we got there.

A couple weeks ago during all the planning, I offered to bring dessert. I've been waiting for an occasion worthy of Croquembouche, and with no weddings, baptisms or first communions in sight, this feast seemed to fit the bill. So on Saturday, armed with about 80 profiteroles, a couple cups of caramel and a homemade cone of tinfoil and construction paper, Zed and I got to work.

The tower

I'm happy to say that I got through the build with only a sugar burn on my thumb, and that we are both otherwise unscathed. And although the caramel was slightly dark and the puffs weren't perfectly round, it seemed to be a hit. But really, how can you go wrong with pastry, whipped cream and caramel?