I have a confession to make. I should have made something more typically Scottish as it's Burn's Night this Friday. Patriotism is kicking in as the bagpipes, Stornoway black pudding and haggis are suddenly sorely missed. Don't ask me to make the latter myself, though. You're talking to an ex-vegetarian.
With a first mere dusting of snow last week, our lucky Scottish heather was then well and truly tucked in with a thick, snowy blanket this weekend outside Paris. We had more snow than in Scotland!
Lucie was itching to build a snowman and managed to convince her sister that it was still cool to play in the snow by repeating renditions of the Snowman's 'I'm Walking in the Air' on the piano. What's with the hat? A TGV cap was all we could find.
With a couple of lollies pour les yeux, they reminded me of the sugar eyes I'd bought at my favourite cake stores in Paris.
More macaron madness struck. I'd just made a batch of choux dough to make les Réligieuses: that's one small choux bun stuck on a larger bun and dribbled with fondant.
Hm. Sugar eyes... Â put them together with macarons (I had some left from my freezer 'bank') and what have you got?
A Snowman built indoors! OK, so I'm not too old to kid around too, right? He's a Religieuse Snowman. Hm. In French that doesn't work since a Religieuse is feminine.
Somehow a Mrs Snow-woman doesn't sound right, so apologies to my French friends for the Religieuse recipe title - I'd love to hear your ideas for a more fitting title. No surprise why Mrs Snowman looks a bit grumpy: I didn't wait for the fondant to slightly set before dipping in the choux buns and so she's dribbling fondant down her cheek. Next time I'll be more patient.
Snowman Religieuse Recipe (Choux Buns with Pastry Cream)
Makes 20
CHOUX DOUGH
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Follow the recipe for choux buns. Using a piping bag with a plain tip (about 10mm), pipe out large heaps on baking trays covered in greaseproof/baking paper (or Silpat mat.) Leave a good space between each mound, as they will spread out during baking. No need to glaze. Bake in a 180°C oven for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile make a second batch of choux buns but pipe out much smaller heaps (as you would for chouquettes) and bake in the oven for only 15 minutes.
VANILLA PASTRY CREAM (Crème Pâtissière)
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
500ml full milk
1 vanilla pod (split down the middle)
4 egg yolks
50g cornflour
80g sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Boil the milk with the vanilla pod in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes. Remove the pod, scrape out the seeds and add to the milk.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar and gradually add the cornflour. Whisk until light and creamy. Gradually add the milk and extract, whisking continuously until thickened.
3. Leave to cool, whisking now and again, then transfer to a piping bag with a thin, plain tip (8mm) so that you can pierce the buns without too much leakage!
4. Pipe the cream into the buns by piercing a hole at the bottom of each bun and squeeze in the vanilla cream.
DECORATION
Gently melt the fondant in a bowl (white fondant is available from many speciality baking stores but if you can't find it just make a classic icing using icing/confectioners sugar and some water.) Â Once the fondant starts to cool, dip the buns upside down into the bowl until there's no excess on the buns. Leave to set on a wire rack but first stick on the eyes (you could use smarties), pierce Mikado sticks for arms and stick on a macaron.
I forgot to take a photo of the vanilla cream inside. It was too good. You'll just have to make them for yourselves! Here's another reason why it's handy to keep some macarons in your freezer. And now you've used up 4 egg yolks you have a good supply of whites for your macarons!
Perhaps this is a Scottish post after all: could we call it a MacSnowman?
Karin Shibata
Hello Jill,
WAAAAAA !!! This religieuse is so kawaïïï !
Your work and your sweet world is such a pleasure to discover.
Pudding Pie Lane
Maybe it should be that you have 'a confession to bake!' :p
How are you anyway Jill? You look like you had a great time with the snow! I think the snowman woman's cap is very 'different' - in a good way! 🙂
Jill
Confession to bake! Love it. Sounds like you've got a cold, lol.
Nami | Just One Cookbook
Hi Jill! That's a lot of snow! SF doesn't get any snow so we have to drive up for 4 hours, and my kids have been waiting for us to take them. 😀 That is a lovely snowman and your MacSnowomen are fantastic! They are way too cute to eat... well, of course I'd love to eat them all! 🙂
Jill
Another reason why moving to SF wouldn't be a bad idea, Nami! Still wish we were neighbours!
Lora
These are so fun and the macaron hats are killing me. LOL
Jill
Bang! Thanks, Lora.
Hester @ Alchemy in the Kitchen
Too cute, Jill! These little characters look like they are doing a gallic shrug! I love your imagination. Hope you are enjoying the snow while it lasts. I try to look upon this inconvenient frozen water as a message to say "slow down for a few days and just enjoy life".
Jill
Yep, Hester. Think my brain froze too, that's why I was doing all sorts of crazy things in the kitchen. Agree with you slowing down and enjoying life! Cheers to that.
Jamie
Oh ho ho I love these réligieuse! Hysterical! And love the macaron hat! Yes, you guys have snow in paris, lucky you! Still waiting for it in Nantes but meanwhile I have actually been craving pastry cream filled choux. Now I need to turn them into religieuses! Love the Chupa Chupa eyes!
Jill
I love turning things religieuses, Jamie 😉 The Chupa Chupa eyes ended up being a bit creepy at night as they twinkled in the dark!
Liz
LOL...you and I DO think alike! I either make my mushrooms BIG so Bill can pick them out or TEENSY so he doesn't know what he's eating 🙂
Jill
Sneeky. Love it, Liz.
Christie
The pics are too cute and so is the name, MacSnowoman.
Jill
MacSnowoman. Just realised it. Thanks to Vicki and Christie - love it!
Vicki Bensinger
Your MacSnowomen are darling and Lucie looks quite happy with her little snowman that she's given him a peck on the cheek.
I think the dripping fondant or icing rather adds character to these little men. Very cute!!
Thank you for stopping by today and tweeting. I need to learn how to do that properly. Have a great day!
Jill
Thanks, Vicki.
Tweeting? I'm still a twit at it, believe me and don't do it much. How can so many people tweet most of the day without going tweetie-pie?
Mardi (eat. live. travel. write)
I LOVE your Mac Snowmen Jill - they are just too adorable for words! I love seeing Lucie on the blog (and in the comments now too it seems!!)
Jill
Thanks, Mardi. Yes, Lucie is the real adorable one here. I love it too!
Parisbreakfast
Absolutely adorable!! The cutest I've seen yet!
They are usually so boring....
Cheers Carolg
Jill
thanks, Carol - normally they should be around Christmas but it wasn't snowing here!
Liz
Aw, cute picture of Lucie! And your snowpeople are darling 🙂 So I shouldn't expect to find any haggis filled macarons in an upcoming post?
Jill
Snowpeople! That's it, Liz 🙂
Haggis filled? Waverley Books wanted me to do these. Would people eat them?
Lucie
Mum,
I didn't realise that you caught me with the snowman! 😮
Your Religieuses were delicious and I had fun learning how to make them... 🙂
Lucie 😉
Jill
Love how you say something on le blog, sweetie. We're making them again soon whilst Mr Real Creepy snowman is still not leaving us outside even when the rest of the snow has melted!
Gerry @Foodness Gracious
Awesome, I miss the good stuff too. I don't miss the snow though 🙂
Jill
Ah, Gerry. A true Scot 😉