My host mother, who now officially has a broken elbow (deemed by the doctor she waited 4 hours to see today) asked me to help her make dinner tonight because I was just watching the T.V. So I said sure, what are we making? Pate aux Choux was the response, and my first translation was cabbage pastry? But no, this delicious french treat does not include cabbage, nor a real pastry sense either!
So to make Pate Aux Choux:
Boil 2 cups of water with a GENEROUS amount of butter and a small amount of salt.
Once boiling, turn off the heat, but keep on the burner and add 2 cups of flour.
Beat well until it is all combined and it forms a sticky ball in the middle of the pan.
Add 3 eggs, one at a time and beat well in between each egg. At this point it will get a gross consistency, but you keep beating and it will come back to normal.
Add some more salt (if you want salty Pate Aux Choux, for sweet add sugar at this point).
Then add GENEROUS amount of cheese and beat again until well mixed.
Butter a circular pan (a pie dish will do) and create very large balls of the Pate and put them in the dish (it's O.K. if they touch).
Put them in the oven at 200 celcius for 45 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160 for another 15 minutes.
They will balloon up!
For salted, serve with tomato sauce mixed with creme fraiche. For sugared serve with ice cream or a chocolate sauce I've heard is good.
They are very light and airy, but also very filling so be warned!
Peace, Love and not-Cabbage
Very cool. You've got to tell me how everyone liked it. I was floored at how stupid easy it was to make, then again, I'm not much of a baker.
ReplyDelete