Pastry tubes with custard

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Prepare the ingredients. I move the frozen dough to the refrigerator overnight without opening the package (many brands tell you to open it). I've found it thaws evenly this way, doesn't dry out, and rolls out nicely afterward. Wash the eggs well and chill them.

2. Step 2:

   

   Grease metal cream-horn cone molds with butter or vegetable oil. If you don't have any, you can shape them out of parchment paper wrapped in foil.

3. Step 3:

   

   Lightly dust the counter with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 11–12 inches (27–30 cm) long and as wide as it goes. The dough should be about 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) thick. Trim the edges even, then cut into strips 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Crumble the trimmings after baking and use them as a topping. Lay a cone on a strip of dough and, starting from the narrow end, wrap the strip around it in a spiral with a slight overlap. Lightly moisten the end of the strip with water and press it onto the last turn of dough.

4. Step 4:

   

   Set the wrapped tubes seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with a mat or greased parchment, leaving space between them. Cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 10–15 minutes. Then brush them — I whisk 1 tablespoon of milk or water into an egg yolk. I usually just brush them with vegetable oil, which gives a softer, more even color. Bake right away in an oven preheated to 400°F (200°C) for 15–17 minutes, until golden.

5. Step 5:

   

   Slide the baked tubes off the molds, move them to a rack, and let them cool uncovered so they stay crisp.

6. Step 6:

   

   Make the COOKED MERINGUE CREAM: first you have to cook the syrup right. Add the water to the sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.

7. Step 7:

   

   Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and cook until the color shifts slightly, about 4–5 minutes. Drop a little syrup into a saucer of cold water — if it forms a soft ball, the syrup is ready. It's easy to overcook it into caramel, so don't get distracted! (The times are approximate; it all depends on your stove.)

8. Step 8:

   

   While the syrup cooks, I start whipping the chilled egg whites with a pinch of salt. I gradually raise the speed, add the vanillin and lemon juice, and keep beating to stiff peaks. (You can set the bowl of whites over another bowl of cold water, but it works fine for me without that.) Still beating, I pour in the hot syrup in a thin stream — not onto the beaters! — and keep whipping until the mixture cools, about 1–2 minutes. The cream turns thick and fluffy.

9. Step 9:

   

   Fill a piping bag with the cream and pipe it into the cooled tubes. The cream tops can be sprinkled with nuts, crumbs from the leftover dough, chocolate or coconut shavings, colored sprinkles, or cocoa. The tube itself gets dusted with powdered sugar through a fine sieve. The pastries can be kept in the refrigerator, but no more than a day.