Here I am sitting with a cup of cold green tea in the middle of southern afternoon. Never have I thought that cold drinks would become a must in my daily routine. The place where I come from, people love tea. Moreover, they prefer hot tea. Only lately, ice tea became popular. Tea is not just a drink, it is a reason for people to get together and spend some time on discussing life, love and news. I guess it is like going for a drink to a bar in America. The only difference - when drinking tea, there is an atmosphere of peaceful silence so that people can hear each other well :-) The tea "meeting" can go on and on while a host changes various teas and offers guests sweet delicates. In Moscow, my friend Liza is famous for great tea collection and warm hospitality:-)
Because I like to attend and host tea "meeting" as well, sometimes I prepare for them in advance. Sometimes I buy goodies in stores. However, I believe that nothing can be compared to home made goodies for two reasons: they are hand made and made with love:-)
The idea for swan lake came from my friend Milana. Once she mentioned that when she was little, her mother used to bake swan pastry and everyone loved it! Pate a choux is famous French dough which is wonderful for profiteroles, eclairs, churros and many other pastry. I used my mother's recipe for the dough and creme. So here is the recipe:
Ingredients
Dough "Pate a Choux"
1 cup of water
1 stick of butter
1 cup of unbleached sifted flour
4 large eggs
1 pinch of salt
Creme Patissiere
1 cup of milk
1 egg
1 cup of sugar
1 stick of butter of room temperature
Valilla extract
Decoration
1 whipped cream (in a spray bottle)
1/2 cup of dark chocolate
1 table spoon of milk
Cooking gadgets
2 piping bags
A tip with plain tube
A tip with a star tube
Instructions
Dough
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a small pot, boil water, salt and butter. Remove from heat, instantly add flour and whisk well. Return to heat. The mixture must form a ball. Place the ball in a bowl and cool for 1 minute.
3. With mixer on medium speed, add 1 egg at a time until the mixture is smooth.
4. Place the dough into piping bags: #1-1/3 in a bag with a plain tube and #2-2/3 in a bag with a star tube.
5. Pipe immediately on a baking sheet (covered with baking paper) 2-3 inches apart from each other:
#1 Pipe swan neck: make a seven shape with a small bick.
#2 Swan body: make a golf-ball size shape.
6. Bake the dough for 10 minutes or until the dough grows twice in size and looks golden brown. Then set aside and cool completely.
Creme Patissiere
1. Heat milk, egg, vanilla, flour and sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat until thick. Set aside and cool completely.
2. Transfer the cream into a mixing bowl, add small pieces of butter at a time and beat with a mixer on medium speed.
3. Cover the cream with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Chocolate late
1. In a saucepan warm chocolate and milk on a small heat. Mix gently until smooth. Set aside.
Assembling pastry
1. Take a body of a swan (a ball piped by #2), cut in equal halves horizontally. Cut the upper part in two halves equally to create wings.
2. Spread creme on the bottom half of body, spray whipped cream and cover with wings. Stick the neck so it looks like a swan. Continue the same actions with other pastry pieces.
3. On a plate, pour a small amount of chocolate to create lake, place a swan pastry on top.
Now what's left is to invite friends, make some tea and turn on swan lake music:-)))
Bon Appetit!
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