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We all know by now that I love the Great British Bake Off and I get inspired by all the different things the bakers make on the show! Mary Berry´s Religieuses were set as a technical challenge for the bakers of season 4 – so absolutely ages ago!
I felt like making them over the summer as I think they are a great way to practice four great baking skills: Choux pastry, a crème pâtissière, a crème Chantilly and a chocolate ganache! The perfect challenge to check a baker´s technical abilities! So, here is my interpretation of Mary Berry´s Religieuses with tips and tricks on how to succeed!
What are Religieuses?
A religieuse is a classic in the world of French patisserie! Two choux buns (basically profiteroles) filled with a thick vanilla crème pâtissiere (French pastry cream) and covered in a rich chocolate ganache. The religieuses are then finished off with a ‘collar’ of crème Chantilly (sweetened whipped cream) so that the buns resemble the collar of a nun. That´s what these little French pastry delights are named after – they are meant to resemble a miniature nun (‘religieuse’ means nun in French).
Sometimes the ‘collar’ around the edges is made with buttercream instead of whipped cream (crème Chantilly). However, Mary Berry asked the bakers to use the latter in her Technical Challenge, and if I´m honest, I think this is a much better choice! The buttercream would just be a step too far in my opinion, as this bake is already quite rich with the vanilla pastry cream (crème pât) and chocolate ganache. If, however, you are a fan of buttercream and want to give it a go, check out my baking basics post on How to make Buttercream to find out how!
This French classic is perfect for practicing your patisserie skills, as all the elements (choux pastry, crème pât, crème Chantilly and chocolate ganache) can be quite challenging and tricky to master! I hope though, that with my step-by-step guide and by referring you to some of my baking basics posts, this recipe will be a walk in the park for you! 1st place in the Technical Challenge here you come!
How do you make Religieuses? Mastering four baking basics in one!
Like I said, this was an excellent technical challenge recipe as it required the bakers to master four baking basics every baker should know how to make: Choux pastry, Crème Pâtissière, Crème Chantilly and Chocolate Ganache. Let´s look at each individual component in turn:
CHOUX PASTRY
Choux pastry can be a tricky one, and there a few key things you should look out for to avoid choux pastry buns that come out flat as a pancake! It is the only pastry that is cooked twice – once on the hob and then again in the oven. When cooking out the pastry dough on the cooker you need to make sure all the flour is cooked out properly, and then allow the mix to cool a bit before adding the eggs – otherwise you might make scrambled eggs! When baking, it is extremely important not to open the oven, as that will cause the choux pastry cases to deflate. And once you remove them from the oven, make sure to pierce the buns immediately to allow the steam to escape and prevent the pastry from going soggy. Those are the most important things, but there will be a baking basics post detailing the steps for mastering choux pastry more accurately coming soon! So stay tuned for that!
CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE
You can read up all about How to make Crème Pâtissière here. But it´s basically just a very thick version of a vanilla custard! It tastes delicious and is used in a lot of French patisserie recipes. The most important thing is to whisk quickly and make sure the milk isn´t too hot or you´ll risk scrambling the eggs!
CRÈME CHANTILLY
Crème Chantilly is just a fancy French word for describing a sweetened whipped cream. For the best results, it´s a good idea to thoroughly chill the cream, bowl and beaters in the fridge before whipping the cream! More information can be found here: Baking Basics #7 – How to make Crème Chantilly.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
The final element in these Religieuses is a thick, glossy chocolate ganache! Remember to actually leave some for the Religieuses and not just eat it all from the bowl (trust me, it´s tempting!). Chocolate work can be fiddly, so you want to make sure to not over-heat the cream before pouring it onto the chocolate and avoid any water getting into your chocolate mix at all costs! Otherwise the mixture will go all grainy and lumpy (known as ‘seizing’). Also, make sure to finely chop the chocolate as this will ensure it melts in the hot cream As always, I will refer your to my baking basics post on How to Master Chocolate – Melting, Tempering and Decorating for you to find out more!
More Recipes from the Great British Bake Off
I am always trying to improve my baking skills and have tried quite a few recipes and challenges that have been given to the bakers on the Great British Bake Off over the last couple of years. Whether it´s replicating the Signature Challenge of making the perfect Victoria Sponge cake, a challenging Technical with Paul Hollywood´s Hand-raised pies or inspired by one of the Bake Offs greatest scandals ever – Baked Alaska Gate – I´ve done it all. Check out some of the recipes below!
- Paul´s Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes with Vanilla Custard
- Mary Berry´s Strawberry Fraisier Cake
- Classic Victoria Sponge Cake
- Viennese Whirls | British Baking Classic
- Mary Berry´s Bakewell Tart with Feathered Icing
- Paul´s Mini Pork Pies
- Mini Chocolate and Raspberry Sandwich Cakes
- Paul Hollywood´s Hand-Raised Chicken, Bacon and Apricot Pie
- Mary Berry´s Frosted Walnut Layer Cake
- Chocolate and Nut Baked Alaska
- Paul Hollywood´s Mini Custard Tarts
- Swiss Roll Cake with Strawberries and Cream
- Mary Berry´s Viennese Whirls | British Baking Basic
- GBBO Signature Chocolate Cake | Bake Off Box #1
- Mini Walnut and Banana Loaf Cakes | Bake Off Box #2
Mary Berry´s Religieuses | Bake Off Technical Challenge | Pastry Week
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY:
- 60g butter
- 150ml water
- 75g plain flour
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
FOR THE CRÈME PÂTISSIERE:
- 500ml whole (full-fat) milk
- 1tsp of vanilla bean paste (or seeds scraped from a vanilla pod)
- 6 medium eggs, yolks only
- 75g caster sugar
- 20g cornflour
- 25g plain flour
FOR THE CRÈME CHANTILLY:
- 150ml double cream
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
- 150ml double cream
- 200g dark chocolate (I use Dr Oetker´s Dark Chocolate for Bakers)
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
Method:
- Start by preheating the oven to 220°C. Draw 8 large (5cm diameter) and 8 small (2.5cm) diameter circles onto a piece of baking paper (e.g. draw around a cookie cutter of those dimensions). Place the baking paper with the pen markings facing down onto a large baking tray.
- To make the choux pastry, place the butter and water into a saucepan and set over a medium heat until the butter has melted, then briefly bring to the boil.
- Quickly add in all the flour at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until it comes together in a smooth, glossy ball. Reduce the heat to low and cook the mix for 3-5 minutes, beating constantly.
- Remove the dough from the heat and leave to cool slightly before adding the eggs. Gradually add in the beaten egg, only adding a little at a time and beating well between additions. You are aiming for a smooth and glossy dough, that reluctantly drops of your spoon and forms a “V” shape. You might not need to add all the egg.
- Spoon the choux pastry into a large piping bag fitted with a round nozzle that is 1.5cm in diameter (if you don´t have a nozzle, just cut off the end of the piping bag making an opening of roughly the same size). Pipe round disks of choux pastry using the circles you drew on the baking paper as a guide. Use a damp finger to smooth down the top of each disk.
- Bake the choux buns in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 190°C and bake for another 10-15 minutes until crisp and golden brown (DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN or your choux pastry buns will collapse). Once you think they are ready, remove from the oven and immediately pierce the bottom of each choux bun with a metal skewer to allow the steam to escape. If necessary, return the buns to the oven for a further 4-5 minutes to dry out more. Then set on a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- In the meantime, prepare the crème pâtissiere. You can find the instructions to making it in my baking basics post about How to make Crème Pâtissiere here. Once done, pour into a bowl and lay a piece of clingfilm over the top to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the fridge until needed.
- To make the chocolate ganache, finely chop the chocolate and place into a glass bowl. Gently heat the cream in a small pot until just below boiling point. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl with a plate and leave to sit for 1-2 minutes. Remove the plate and then stir the mixture with a wooden spoon, making sure all the chocolate has melted and is incorporated in the cream to make a smooth, glossy chocolate ganache. Set aside to thicken to a spreadable consistency whilst filling your choux buns.
- Transfer the cooled crème pâtissiere into a large piping bag fitted with a long, thin nozzle. Insert into the base of each choux bun and squeeze to generously fill each one with the crème pât.
- Dip the choux buns into the cooled chocolate ganache and place chocolate-side up. Set each small choux bun onto one of the larger ones, using the chocolate ganache to stick them together.
- To finish, pour the double cream and icing sugar into a bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk to make the crème Chantilly. Whisk until the mix forms soft peaks, being careful not to over-whisk (more tips for making Crème Chantilly in my Baking Basics post here). Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a small star-shaped nozzle and pipe little blobs of cream around where the two choux buns meet to create a collar.
