Lighthouses are a quintessential sight along the Breton coast, as the waters around these ways are dangerous to navigate, with jagged rocks cropping up from nowhere. These iconic beacons of light have become a symbol of Brittany and can be spotted not only along the coast, but also in the many souvenir shops alongside the famous striped tops. That’s a whole different matter.
Ingredients
- ½ recipe Choux Pastry Dough
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
For the Ginger Cream
- 6 egg yolks
- 6 tbsp (80 g) sugar
- 5 tbsp (40 g) cornstarch
- 1 to 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 cups whole milk
- 20 raspberries
- 1 recipe Salted Butter Caramel
How to Make It
- Scrape the dough into the piping bag. Line two baking sheets with parchment, dotting a little of the dough in each corner to help the paper stick.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Hold the piping bag at a 90-degree angle about ¼ inch from the lined baking sheet. Keep the nozzle upright and pipe four small walnut-size balls of dough, leaving a 1‑inch gap between each one (they should be about 1 inch wide). Then pipe four slightly larger balls of dough on the same baking sheet. If any of the balls have little points, dip your finger in some water and gently pat the points down; otherwise they will burn in the oven.
- On the second baking sheet, pipe four balls of dough that are a little bigger than the previous ones, and then pipe another four balls of dough, again, slightly bigger than the last set. These final balls should be about 1½ inches wide.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar, then bake. After 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet with the smaller buns, and after another 10 minutes remove the second sheet. Set on baking racks to cool.
- While the buns are baking, make the ginger cream: Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until light and thick, then whisk in the cornstarch. Add the ginger to the milk in a small saucepan. Bring the milk to a boil and then turn off the heat. Pour the milk in a slow stream over the egg mixture, whisking vigorously.
- Pour the mixture into a clean saucepan, place over medium heat, and whisk continuously. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the pan, otherwise the mixture will burn. The cream will start to thicken and bubble; immediately remove from the heat.
- Line a shallow rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap and pour in the mixture. Cover, pressing the plastic wrap on the surface of the cream, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. When ready to use, beat with a whisk until smooth and pour into a piping bag.
- Cut a small slit in the bottom of a choux bun. Hold it between your thumb and index finger with the slit facing up and squeeze gently so it opens. Push in a raspberry, then fill with the pastry cream. Repeat with all the buns.
- Stack four choux buns on top of each other with the largest at the bottom and the smallest at the top. Use some caramel to stick them together. Pierce a bamboo skewer through the middle to keep the lighthouse upright while assembling the others.
- Just before serving, remove the skewers. Pour more caramel over the top and top with a raspberry. I like to add a flag for the true lighthouse effect.