Choux Puffs

Pate a choux recipe:
0 Preheat oven to 350F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper or a perforated mat.
1 Place butter, salt and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil
2 Remove from the heat, add flour and cocoa powder (if using) and mix well with a spatula. The mixture will look like mashed potatoes
3 Bring back to the heat, cook on medium while constantly stirring until the dough starts to sizzle and a film develops on the bottom of the pan
4 Remove from the heat and place in the bowl of a stand mixer
5 Decrease the temperature to 140-160F by mixing with a paddle attachment
6 Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape the bowls after mixing and combine with the dough in the bottom of the bowl.
7 Repeat until the dough is shiny, smooth and pipeable
8 Place the dough in a piping bag fitted with a circle tip.
9 Pipe in a circular shape pate a choux of the same size.
10 Add craquelin on top of each choux
11 Bake in the oven for 30-40min, do not open the door of the oven until the choux are fully puffed.
12 Let cool completely
Craquelin recipe:
13 Combine butter and sugar in a bowl and mix well
14 Add flour in two additions and mix until combined
15 Add color of interest and mix well
16 Form a disc and place on top of a parchment paper, cover the disc with another layer of parchment paper and roll using a rolling pin to a 1/8in
17 Place in the freezer for 10min
18 Remove from the freezer and cut using a cookie cutter of similar size or slightly bigger than the piped pate-a-choux
19 Place the craquelin disc on top of the piped choux.
20 Work fast as the craquelin gets soft very quickly at room temp, if needed, place back in the freezer.
Chocolate cremeux recipe:
21 Chop the chocolate into small pieces
22 In a saucepan combine the milk and heavy cream and bring to a simmer
23 While the milk/cream heats combine the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl, whisk until airy and ribbon consistency
24 Temper the two mixtures:
25 Slowly pour the hot milk/cream over the egg yolks/sugar while constantly whisking.
26 Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Heat on low while whisking until the mixture thickens and the temperature is 84C.
27 Immediately pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl
28 Mix well using a spatula until combined. Cover with plastic film and let cool.
29 Place in the fridge for storage
Assembly:
30 Cut the bottom of the puff using a bread or serrated knife
31 Fill with the chocolate cremeux using a piping bag
32 Place the choux upside down (craquelin toward the bottom) on a serving plate. Pipe a dollop of cremeux to “glue” the choux
33 Cover with a chocolate spiral disc, made with either tempered chocolate or candy melts (wafers) piped on a Tourbillin midi 28 silicon spiral mold from Silikomart.
34 Place a macaron filled with filling of choice on top, see my macaron recipes for ideas
Optional Feather
35 Add a chocolate feather made as:
36 Place a small amount of tempered chocolate or candy melts on top of a strip of acetate, using the tip of a paring knife slightly push the chocolate toward you while gently removing it from the acetate to make the shape of the feather