Crispy, soft, buttery, smooth, nuttiness, sweet & pleasant bitterness! You get it all in one bite!
I still remember those days walking on the streets in Tokyo surrounding by the scent of soothing grassy smell. Matcha is available everywhere in Japan. It is so common that you can find Matcha uses in most Japanese restaurants/cafes. Endless list to mention the types of foods that made with Matcha.
The trend of using Matcha in cooking has been spike in recent years. It is a perfect companion to many types of sweet flavouring ingredients in bakery, ice cream, even pairing well with some savoury dishes as well as foods dying. You can normally get Matcha powder from your local Asian grocery store if you live in one of the bigger city otherwise it is always available online. Whichever way, make sure you look for a ceremonial grade Matcha that has been stone ground that give you the finest silky perfection.
Cream puff on the other hand is my top favourite pastry during childhood days. The classic cream puff choux pastry is soft and fluffy, fills with smooth and creamy vanilla custard. This elegant and delicious pastry is simple to make. It is so satisfy by looking at the way they puffed in the oven.
This cream puffs recipe I’m making today is Choux Au Craquelin which is crispy cream puff. Craquelin is a thin piece of dough that is made up by butter, sugar and flour. It place on top of the puff shell as a light and crumbly cookie crust.
Craquelin cream puff with matcha custard filling is a perfect match. It is rich but not overly sweet with a tiny bitterness. To make this recipe, we have to prepare the craquelin, choux pastry dough and custard. It sounds a lot, but trust me they don’t take much of your time and surely they worth it!
Recipe
| Prep time : 30 minutes | Cooking time: 40 minutes | Serving : 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients : | ||
| A : Craquelin – 1/3 cup room temp butter – 1/2 cup sugar – 2/3 cup cake flour, sifted | B : Choux pastry dough – 1/4 cup butter – 1/2 cup water – 1/2 cup plain flour – pinch of salt – 2 eggs | C: Custard filling – 2 egg yolks – 1/4 cup sugar – 1/4 cup + 3/4 cup milk – 2 tbsp corn flour – pinch of salt – 1 tsp matcha powder |
Instructions
Part A
– In a bowl, mix in butter, sugar and sifted flour. Use your fingers to slowly mix and incorporate the ingredients and form into a dough ball. Wrap it in a plastic wrap and store in freezer while preparing the choux pastry.
Part B
– Preheat oven to 200c. In a small pot, add in butter and water turn the heat to medium, use a wooden spoon to stir until the water is boil and butter is melted. Turn off the heat and add in flour and salt, continue stirring until it form into a dough. You know it is ready when the dough doesn’t stick to the pot.
– Transfer the dough into a glass bowl, continue stirring until it reach room temperature or warm to touch.
– Add one egg at a time, incorporate the egg in the dough by stirring at clock wise. At this stage, you find the dough starting to separate which is normal. Keep stirring until it form into a smooth dough. Add the second egg and repeat the step. When you pull up the dough, it should form into a thick ribbon.
– Transfer the choux dough into a piping bag, pipe around 12-14 puffs. Leave them 3cm apart and avoid piping peaks, wet your finger tips with water to smooth them out if they get peaks.
– Take the craquelin dough from the freezer, you will find the dough is hard by now. Remove the plastic wrap, and start pressing the dough flat on a dusted flour surface using your palm or a roller. You will find it is hard to roll to start with but soon when the temperature increase the dough will become softer. Roll it flat for about 1cm thick, use your cookies cutter to cut out 12-14 round flat dough about the same size as your puff.
– Place each flat dough on top of the puff and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 200c, then reduce temperature to 170c for another 20 minutes or until the puffs is slightly golden brown on top. Check the puff by cut it in half, if the center is mostly hollow out, the puff is ready. Bake for a couple more minutes if the center is still moist and spongy.
– Remove the pastry from the oven and let’s cook on a cooling rack.
Part C
– In a bowl, add egg yolks, 1/4 cup milk, sugar, corn flour, salt and matcha powder, whisk to combine.
– Heat up 3/4 cup milk in a small pot until hot but not boil, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisk well. Transfer the mixture back to the pot on medium heat and continue whisk until it thickens and firm up.
-Transfer the custard to a bowl to cool down to room temperature, cover with wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
pipe puffs and place craquelin on top of puffs dough 
Matcha custard cooking stage
When you are ready to serve, cut the cream puffs in half and pipe matcha custard on the center. Serve with some fresh fruits if desired. Store the remaining in an airtight container for a day or two. The craquelin should remain crusty if you store it well.
Thanks for stopping by!
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Snap a photo and tag @dreamtocookblog with #dreamtocook❤ if you have an Instagram account. I love seeing your creations!
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