Spring croquembouche

Ingredients:

Decoration

• 20 white chocolate covered strawberries
• 30 profiteroles
• 15 meringue curls
• 25 meringue leaves
• Sugar threads

Strawberries in white chocolate

• Cooking spray to spray the grates
• 20 medium or large strawberries
• 350 g of high-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
• Golden decorative sugar, white decorative sugar and white nonpareil, for decoration

Profiteroles

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
• 3/4 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 0.5 cups premium flour
• 2 large eggs

Whipped cream

• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 1.5 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp. l. Concord grape juice

Meringue curls and leaves

• Whites of 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 3 drops green gel food coloring
• 1 drop of yellow gel food coloring
• 1 drop red gel food coloring

• Sugar threads

  
  1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• Special equipment: 3.5" x 11.5" foam cone; 65 wooden toothpicks; pastry bag with medium round tip; pastry bag with small round tip; pastry bag with small star tip; pastry bag with leaf tip; candy thermometer

Preparation:

1. Croquembouche Tower:
   
   Place the foam cone on a serving platter. Starting at the bottom of the cone and spiraling upward, insert a row of wooden toothpicks, spaced 2 inches apart. Insert 5 more evenly spaced rows of toothpicks around the cone.
2. Attach a large white chocolate-covered strawberry to one toothpick in the first row (attach larger berries to the bottom and medium-sized ones to the top). Repeat with the profiteroles on the next row of toothpicks. Then add a row of meringue curls. Repeat the rows with strawberries, profiteroles, and meringues. Fill all the holes by inserting more toothpicks into the cone and attaching the remaining strawberries, profiteroles, and meringues to them. Insert meringue leaves into the gaps, distributing them evenly throughout the cone. Carefully decorate the tower with sugar threads and serve immediately.
3. Strawberries in white chocolate:
   
   Lightly spray a wire rack with cooking spray and place it on a rimmed baking sheet. Trim the stems from the strawberries. Place the strawberries cut-side down on the prepared rack and freeze until slightly firm, but not frozen, for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally, until melted, about 3 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
5. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of chocolate over each strawberry and let set, about 30 seconds. Drizzle some chocolate over some of the strawberries to create stripes; spread more chocolate over the remaining strawberries and garnish with decorative sugar and nonpareils. Let set completely, about 30 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 220°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Profiteroles:
   
   Combine the butter, granulated sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the flour all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until completely absorbed and smooth, about 1 minute. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 more seconds. Transfer the dough to a large bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, until they are fully incorporated and the dough is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes.
8. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe 14 5cm diameter balls onto one of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1cm apart. Pipe 28 2.5cm balls onto another baking sheet. Dip your finger in water and smooth out any uneven spots in the dough.
9. Bake the profiteroles for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 190°C (375°F). Continue baking until the profiteroles are puffy and deep golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the profiteroles cool completely.
10. Whipped cream:
    
    Combine the cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip.
11. Set aside all 14 large profiteroles and 16 small ones for assembly; you can freeze the rest or just eat them. Using the tip of a pastry bag, carefully poke a hole in the bottom of the profiteroles reserved for the croquembouche. Fill them with whipped cream (do not overfill).
12. Glaze:
    
    Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl and whisk with the juice until smooth. Dip the top of each cake into the glaze, letting any excess drip off, then invert and place on a wire rack. Let the glaze set, about 30 minutes.
13. Meringue curls and leaves:
    
    Preheat oven to 110°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
    
    Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer); beat on medium speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium-high; beat in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until the meringue is thick, glossy, and holds peaks, about 6 minutes more. Transfer 1 cup of the meringue to a small bowl and stir in the green and yellow food coloring. Fold the red food coloring into the remaining meringue.
    
    Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip with pink meringue. Pipe 5cm (2in) swirls onto half of the prepared baking sheet, spacing them approximately 1cm (0.4in) apart. Pipe the remaining pink meringue into 2.5cm (1in) swirls onto the other half of the baking sheet.
    
    Fill a pastry bag fitted with a leaf tip with green meringue. Pipe various leaves onto a second prepared baking sheet.
    
    Bake the meringues until completely dry, 30-45 minutes; the meringues should not brown. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let cool completely, about 20 minutes. Set aside 8 large curls, 7 small curls, and 25 leaves for assembling the croquembouche. Leftover meringue can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
14. Sugar threads:
    
    Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Cook the caramel until it reaches 300°F (150°C) on a candy thermometer. Let it cool to 275°F (135°C).
    
    Place 2 wooden spoons 60 cm apart on equal-sized bowls, with their handles extending 15 cm beyond the edge. Place newspaper or foil on the table underneath the spoons.
    
    Dip a fork in the sugar syrup and run it back and forth across the handles of a spoon to create many long, thin strands. Repeat 3-4 times, then carefully gather the strands and place them on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining caramel.