Choux with craquelin: the new sweet obsession with step-by-step recipe and professional finish
Every once in a while, among so much window dressing, a sweet reminds us that good pastry still has a lot to say. This time it is the turn of a delicious French pastry that has gone from the shop window to collective obsession: the choux with craquelin.
Often, what becomes fashionable in the sweet universe seems to be conceived by an alliance between the algorithm, the craving for attention and a pastry lover with baroque tendencies. A lot of glitter, a lot of decoration, a lot of "look at me" and then, at the first bite, a sensation rather like chewing sugar and colorful fondant. That's why it's almost comforting that one of the latest window dressing whims that is sweeping our country is not a chromatic bomb or a jumble of toppings, but something rather more interesting: the petit choux with craquelin and vanilla cream.
Yes, it's cute. Yes, it looks great in photos. Yes, it has that French flair that in pastry still means delicacy and refinement. But the success of these little bites is not only explained by their delicate appearance or by the contagious enthusiasm of social networks. It is explained, above all, because they are good. Really good.
We tell you what makes these pastries so desirable and how to make them at home, step by step.
A finely tuned classic
Let's be clear: choux with craquelin did not invent gunpowder. What we have here is, in essence, a well-dressed cousin of the traditional profiterol. The base is choux pastry or choux pastry, that baked dough that inflates in the oven and leaves a light, almost hollow shell, ready to be filled. It is the family of éclairs, petits fours, Paris-Brest and so many other French pastries made from this light and delicate dough.
What changes the matter is the craquelin, that thin covering made with butter, flour and sugar that is placed on the dough before baking. It provides a crumbly layer that adds texture and helps the choux rise more evenly.
Why they are now everywhere
It also helps that the format plays completely in their favor. They are small, sell well by the piece, allow you to try "just one" and fit perfectly in that area where moderate whimsy, affordable luxury and the very urban custom of rewarding oneself for having survived a normal week converge. All it takes is a well-made choux with craquelin to make the afternoon seem a lot less thankless.
Added to that is another decisive factor: they have impeccable aesthetics. They are pretty without cluttering the eye. That is no small feat.
Real technique in small format
That's why this trend, unlike others, has something of a silent vindication of good pastry. It is not necessary to erect a six-story monument, bathe half a piece in phosphorite icing or embed half a candy store on top of it to achieve a desirable sweet. Sometimes it is enough to master a classic technique, respect the proportions and handle them sensibly.
It is not a particularly simple recipe, but it is not beyond the reach of anyone who enjoys tinkering in the kitchen. With a well-explained step-by-step (like the one below), photographs of the process and some useful tips, making it at home is much less intimidating than it seems.
Here is the complete recipe so you can make it at home:
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A fashion that deserves fame for once
The fact that these snacks are so fashionable is quite logical. They appeal to the eye, but they don't stop there. Behind them there is technique, contrast and a balance that is not always abundant in contemporary confectionery.
Another perfectly designed creature will come along to claim attention in the shop window. But choux with craquelin, at least, offers something rarer: a real reason for fame.
Patricia González
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