Recipe - Croquembouche

1 cup Dark corn syrup
5 Dozen small cream puffs,
custard filled(from the
bakery or home made)
One fourth cup Icing sugar

The Croquembouche pyramid must be assembled quickly, or the syrup used to
assemble it will harden and have to be reheated. Therefore, be sure to read
the recipe through thoroughly before starting to work. And have all
ingredients near the stove, so you dip the puffs and set them in place
quickly.

Cut a 9inch circle from cardboard, and cover with foil. Set the circle on
a board near the stove. Have the filled cream puffs close at hand.

Cook corn syrup in the top of a double boiler over high heat until candy
thermometer reaches hardball stage(240F), or until a small drop of the
syrup forms a soft ball in coldwater. Set pan over boiling water.

To build the pyramid, lightly dip the bottom oof a cream puff in syrup and
set on the edge of the circle, syrupside down. Repeat with 9 more puffs,
forminga ring. For the secong row,arrange a slightly smaller ring of puffs
overthe spaces between the puffs in the first row, inclinin g the second
row slightly inward. Fill in the center with more puffs for support.

Continue building the pyramid in decreasing rings, filling in cent er for
support as needed, until you have completed 8 rows.

Top with one puff,. Sprinkles the Croquembouche lightly with One fourth cup
siftedicingsugar. To serve, lift one ortwo puffes at a time off the
pyramid, starting from the top. Serves 8 10.

Note: If syrup starts to thicken before puramidis completed,add a teaspoon
of water and stir over low heat. Do not let syrup burn.

Cream Puffs

One half cup butter or margarine 1 cup boiling water 1 cup unsifted allpurpose
flour One fourth teaspoon salt 4 whole eggs

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini