This elegant French petit four combines two stacked choux pastries filled with smooth pastry cream and topped with a glossy glaze. With its delicate vanilla and chocolate flavors, the religieuse is an iconic Parisian patisserie dessert, perfect for impressing your guests.
⏱️90 min
📊Medium
👥12 servings
🍽️Dessert
vegetarianfestive
Ingredients
100 gbutter
250 mlwater
130 gflour
4 pièceseggs
1 pincéesalt
5 gsugar
500 mlwhole milk
4 piècesegg yolks
100 gpowdered sugar
20 gcornstarch
1 cuillère à cafévanilla powder
150 gdark chocolate
50 mlheavy crème fraîche
200 gwhite glaze
Instructions
1PREPARE THE CHOUX PASTRY: In a saucepan, combine water, diced butter, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly until the butter is completely melted. Remove from heat and add all the flour at once, mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball forms. This step is crucial for achieving a homogeneous dough without lumps. Let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2INCORPORATE THE EGGS: Once the dough is warm, add the eggs one at a time, mixing vigorously after each addition until completely absorbed. The dough should become smooth and glossy, with a pomade-like texture that pulls away from the spoon in peaks. Do not rush this step, which requires about 3 to 4 minutes of working to ensure each egg is fully incorporated.
3SHAPE THE CHOUX: Preheat the oven to 200°C. Fill a piping bag fitted with an 8mm smooth tip with the choux pastry. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe 24 small boulettes (for small choux) and 12 larger boulettes (for large choux). Leave approximately 3 cm of space between each boulette as the dough will double in volume during baking.
4BAKE THE CHOUX: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 200°C, taking care not to open the oven door during the first 25 minutes so the choux develop properly. They should be well puffed, dry on the surface, and a light golden color. Remove from the oven and pierce each choux with the tip of a small knife to let steam escape and prevent them from collapsing. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
5PREPARE THE PASTRY CREAM: Pour milk into a saucepan and bring to a boil. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar until the mixture whitens and becomes foamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the cornstarch and vanilla powder, mix well. Gradually pour the hot milk in while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 5 to 7 minutes until thickened and all starchy taste has disappeared.
6ASSEMBLE THE RELIGIEUSES: Gently cut each small choux in half horizontally and fill generously with pastry cream. Attach each small choux to a large choux with a little pastry cream. Refrigerate. Prepare the glaze: melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler, drizzle over the small choux, and the white glaze over the large choux. Let set before serving.