Maple Croquembouche

For the choux:

• 150g water
• 120g plain flour
• 80g salted butter
• 3 medium eggs
• 2 tsp maple sugar

For the maple crème pâtisserière:

• 100g plain flour
• 150g maple sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 eggs
• 1l milk
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the caramel:

• 250ml pure Canadian maple syrup (preferably amber for its rich taste)

To make the choux:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C
2. Warm the butter and water in a pan
3. Mix the flour and maple sugar together and gradually mix into the melted butter until smooth
4. Turn down the heat to a minimum, mix well with a spatula to form a ball of dough, continue to dry dough in the pan for a few minutes
5. Leave to steam for 10 minutes and transfer to a medium mixing bowl
6. Using a food processor or a whisk, gradually add the eggs, one by one, mixing well in between
7. Line a baking sheet with grease-proof paper
8. Add the mixture to a piping bag with a round nozzle attachment and pipe the 2cm choux onto the baking sheet
9. Leave to cool in the fridge for 15 minutes
10. Bake for 10 minutes at 200C in a fan oven, and then for another 8 minutes at 180C. Once cooked, open the oven to let the steam escape, and leave to cool and dry inside the oven for 15 minutes
11. Remove from the oven and leave to cool

To make the maple crème pâtissière:

1. Gradually warm the milk in a pan
2. Crack six eggs yolks and two full eggs into a bowl, then add the maple sugar and the plain flour and mix well
3. Gradually pour a quarter of the warmed milk into the first bowl to gently heat up the eggs, then pour everything back in the pan with the rest of the milk
4. Cook the crème pâtissière gently for 6 to 8 minutes, consistently whisking until it becomes smooth and thick
5. Pour into a baking tin and cover with cling film, cool at room temperature for 15 minutes and then in the fridge until fully cooled
6. Once cool, transfer to a piping bag with a small round filling nozzle

To assemble:

1. Poke a small hole into the bottom of each choux
2. Add the cooled crème pâtissière into the choux using the piping bag
3. Pour the maple syrup into a pan, and carefully heat for 3 to 5 minutes for the caramel to form, be cautious not to burn it
4. Remove it from the heat and dip each choux into the caramel and stack them one on top of the other
5. Drizzle the left-over caramel over the stack for extra decoration