 Croquembouche wedding cake | |
| Alternative names | Croque-en-bouche,pièce-en-Montée |
|---|---|
| Type | Choux pastry |
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | France |
| Main ingredients | Profiteroles,caramel |
Acroquembouche (French:[kʁɔ.kɑ̃.buʃ]) orcroque-en-bouche is aFrenchdessert consisting ofchoux pastry puffs piled into a cone and bound with threads ofcaramel. In Italy and France, it is often served atweddings,baptisms andFirst Communions.
The name comes from theFrench phrasecroque en bouche, meaning '[something that] crunches in the mouth'.[1]
A croquembouche is composed of (usually cream-filled)choux piled into a cone and bound with spun sugar. It may also be decorated with other confectionery, such as sugared almonds, chocolate, and edible flowers. Sometimes it is covered inmacarons organache.[2][3]
The invention of the croquembouche is often attributed toAntonin Carême,[4] who includes it in his 1815 cookbookLe Pâtissier royal parisien, but it is mentioned as early as 1806, inAndré Viard's culinary encyclopediaLe Cuisinier Impérial, andAntoine Beauvilliers' 1815L'Art du Cuisinier. In Viard's encyclopedia and other early texts (e.g.,Néo-physiologie du goût), it is included in lists ofentremets—elaborate dishes, both savory and sweet, that were served between courses during large banquets.
On 6 March 2009, alumni of thePune-based Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology entered theLimca Book of Records after creating India's biggest croquembouche. It was recorded as 15 ft (4.5 m) tall.[5]
