Chef Danilo Pamintuan,
Piazza de Nardi
This stunning Italian dessert is similar to a cream puff, and packed with flavour.
Ingredients
Choux Paste
2 cups water,
1 cup melted butter – boil
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1 Tbs sugar
24 eggs
Vanilla Mousse
1 L whipping cream
10 egg yolks
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
10 gelatin sheets
Method
Choux Paste
1. Combine water, butter, sugar and a pinch of salt into a 8 L sauce pan, and bring to boil.
2. While mixture begins to boil, add the flour all at once. Stir until mixture is dry and begins to crumble.
3. Pour batter into a mixing bowl.
4. With a flat beater set on a low speed, add all the eggs, one at a time.
5. Keep mixing until batter cools down.
6. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Pipe golf-sized balls onto the parchment paper.
8. Bake at 350°F for 45 mins. Do not open the oven to check on them, until time expires.
9. Allow to cool before filling.
Filling
1. Beat egg yolks, whole eggs and sugar together until fluffy.
2. Beat whipping cream until semi-whipped, and place aside.
3. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water, until pliable, and drain water off.
4. Melt the gelatin on a double boiler.
5. Fold the egg mixture and whipped cream together, mixing well.
6. Add a small amount of mixture to the melted gelatin folding until fully incorporated.
7. Add the remainder of the egg and cream mixture, folding well.
Assembly
1. Pipe filling into the bottom of the bigné, or slice bigné in half and spoon filling between the layers.
2. To decorate, drizzle or dip in melted chocolate. Dust with icing sugar.
Yield approx 20 bigne