These are the sort of thing that always catches my eye at the bakery when I’m only supposed to be picking up bread. Inevitably, one will make its way into my order and will be enjoyed as breakfast or mid-morning – they’re so good I don’t know I could wait until l’heure du goûter! And while these are great in the morning, they are an excellent on-the-go snack to eat rushing from school to extra-curricular activities. Don’t worry if your twists are a bit misshapen the first time you make these – practice makes perfect!
Related: These Creme-Filled Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches Will Make You Feel Like a Pro Baker
Excerpted from French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after school snacks) by Mardi Michels. Copyright © 2021 Mardi Michels. Photography ©Mardi Michels. Published by MLM Publications. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.French Food For Everyone, Amazon, $13
Love these chocolate custard twists? Try this recipe for Flaky Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake Pastry Pockets next!
ingredients
Pastry Cream
Twists
Glaze
directions
For the pastry cream, bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan.
In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch together in a medium saucepan.
Once the milk has just reached a boil, pour in a couple of teaspoons of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined.
Slowly pour in the rest of the hot milk, whisking constantly and place the pan over medium heat, continuing to whisk.
Continue to cook and whisk for about 3 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken slightly and produce large bubbles, then remove from the heat. If your mixture has overcooked and you have bits of cooked egg in your custard, strain the custard into a clean bowl using a metal sieve.
Whisk in the vanilla, then the butter, until completely incorporated.
Scrape the custard into a clean bowl, cover it with plastic wrap (the wrap should be touching the surface of the custard to prevent a skin forming) and allow the custard to come to room temperature, then, if not using immediately, refrigerate, until you are ready to use. Before you use it, you might have to give the custard a whisk to loosen it.
For the twists and glaze, preheat the oven to 375˚F and have a baking tray handy.
Roll your pastry out on parchment paper until it’s approximately 12″ x 12″.
Spread the pastry cream over the entire surface of the pastry.
Sprinkle the chocolate over one half of the pastry and fold the other half of the pastry to cover it.
With the open end of the pastry facing you (you’ll have a rectangle of 12″ x 6″), cut strips of the pastry approximately 2 inches wide.
Lift the parchment onto the baking tray and separate the pastry strips slightly.
Twist the pastry strips in one direction at one end and in the other direction at the other end to make a twist. Make two twists at each end. Some of the chocolate might fall out, just press it back into the pastry cream. Make sure your twists have a lot of room (about 2 inches) between them on the baking tray.
Lightly brush the twists with the egg wash, avoiding the custardy chocolate edge of the pastry.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Remove the twists from the oven, leaving them on the baking tray. Meanwhile, mix the boiling water and sugar together to make your glaze and brush the still hot twists with the glaze. This will dry as they cool and will make them lovely and shiny.
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