Puits d'Amour | Bake Off Bake Along

Never have I ever been so stressed with a Bake Off bake like I have been with these puits d'amours. 

I ignored any Bake Off time constraints (as per usual) and started prep the night before, making and folding the rough puff, then making the compote and the creme patisserie. 

The prep work went swimmingly, no problems at all. The choux pastry, absolutely fine the next morning, again no problems. But come to the assembly, it just went all down hill. 

I started with 8 perfectly round bits of pastry, topped with rings of choux pastry... and then in the oven  4 of the 8 morphed into puffy doughnuts. Not ring doughnuts, like big jam doughnuts. The other 4 were what they should have all looked like. 

This meant that when they came out of the oven and deflated, they went a bit wonky, meaning some of the compote slipped off the side *facepalm* 

You win some, you lose some in Bake Off Bake Along.

For me, this pastry week wasn't my best. I wasn't going to attempt that showstopper pie or deep fry samosas. So that ultimately left me with the technical challenge. I'll admit, they were tasty, but only when fresh that day (not recommended for a serve the next day item).

The pastry base, delicious and crispy (no soggy bottom). The choux pastry, lovely and soft. The compote, just sweet enough. The creme patisserie, my favourite. So you'd think they would be a winner winner, but I was left wanting more from them. 

So would I bake these again? No, probably not. But it did make me want to do the craquelin choux buns I did for last years Bake Off Bake Along. 

But they were worth a try and a step outside my comfort zone and into the patisserie world.

You can find Prue's recipe here.