Decadent Choux with Madagascar Caviar de Vanille Bourbon
- VANILLE BIO
- Oct 11, 2025
- 2 min read
Crisp shells, silky vanilla caviar cream, and a glossy finish.
Why Caviar de Vanille Bourbon?
Vanilla caviar is the pure pulp + seeds from gourmet vanilla pods unsweetened, alcohol-free, intensely aromatic, with elegant black speckles. In creams and custards, it delivers a lush, round flavor that turns classic choux into a luxury pastry.
Recipe 10–12 Large Choux (Paris–Brest size minis)
A) (Optional) Craquelin Disks
60 g unsalted butter, soft
75 g brown sugar
75 g flour
Mix to a dough; roll 2–3 mm between parchment. Freeze 15 min.
Punch 5 cm disks; keep chilled.
B) Pâte à Choux
125 g water
125 g whole milk
100 g unsalted butter (cubed)
4 g fine salt, 5 g sugar
150 g flour (T55/AP)
4–5 eggs (≈ 220–260 g), room temp
Heat water, milk, butter, salt, sugar to a boil.
Off heat, dump in flour; stir. Return to medium heat 1–2 min to dry until a thin film forms.
Paddle to lukewarm; beat in eggs gradually to a V-shaped ribbon.
Pipe 5 cm mounds on a perforated mat. Top each with a craquelin disk (optional).
Bake 170 °C / 338 °F 35–40 min (no fan) until deeply golden and dry. Vent for the last
5 min if needed. Cool fully.
C) Caviar de Vanille Diplomat Cream (silky & stable)
500 ml milk
90 g sugar (split)
40 g cornstarch
4 egg yolks
30 g unsalted butter
6–8 g Caviar de Vanille Bourbon (≈1–1½ tsp)
200 ml cold heavy cream, softly whipped
Warm milk + half the sugar + vanilla caviar to steaming; infuse 10 min.
Whisk yolks + remaining sugar + starch; temper with hot milk.
Cook, whisking, to a full boil; off heat whisk in butter.
Spread thin on a tray; cover in contact film; chill cold.
Loosen pastry cream; fold in whipped cream → diplomat cream.
D) Light Vanilla Glaze (optional)
120 g powdered sugar, sifted
15–25 ml milk
Pinch vanilla caviarMix to ribbon. Adjust with drops of milk.
Fill & Finish
Pierce bases; pipe diplomat cream generously until choux feel heavy.
Dip tops in vanilla glaze or dust with icing sugar.
For extra sparkle, add a few vanilla seeds on top.
Pro Tips (Pâtisserie-Level)
Dry the panade: under-dried dough = collapse. Cook until it pulls from the pan.
Eggs by feel: stop when batter flows in a slow ribbon that snaps cleanly.
Color = structure: bake long enough for deep golden walls that stay crisp.
Flavor bloom: infusing milk with vanilla caviar unlocks depth and spreads the seeds evenly.
Storage
Best day-of. Keep filled choux refrigerated and serve within 24 hours.
Unfilled shells freeze well recrisp 5–7 min at 160 °C before filling.
FAQ
Is Caviar de Vanille Bourbon sweetened or alcoholic?
No 100% pure pulp and seeds, unsweetened, alcohol-free.
Can I replace with vanilla powder?
Yes: use 2–3 g powder in the pastry cream;
you’ll lose the speckles but keep aroma.
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