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Puits d'amour

Custard puff pastry wells

Puits d'amour: little Parisian puff pastry wells of vanilla cream with burnt-sugar tops

The puits d'amour, "well of love", is an 18th-century Parisian pastry still made by old-fashioned pâtisseries in the capital, especially the famous one on the rue Montorgueil: small puff pastry cases filled with vanilla cream and finished with a crackling caramelised sugar top, like a crème brûlée in pastry. The common mistake is overfilling the cases, so the cream bubbles out under the grill. Chef's tip: fill just level and use a blowtorch for the sugar, in two thin layers.
Total time
55 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
8
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Ingredients

Serves8

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (1)

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Method

0/4 done
  1. Step 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Roll the 14 oz all-butter puff pastry 3 mm thick, cut eight 10 cm circles and press them into a buttered muffin tin. Prick the bases and chill 15 minutes.

    10 min
  2. Step 2: Line with paper cases and baking beans and bake for 12 minutes, then remove them and bake 6–8 minutes more until crisp and golden. Cool.

    20 min
  3. Step 3: Whisk the 12 ½ oz crème pâtissière smooth and fill the cases just level.

    5 min
  4. Step 4: Sprinkle each with a thin layer of the 4 tbsp caster sugar and caramelise with a blowtorch, then repeat for a thick, glassy top. Serve within a few hours.

    5 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
330 kcal
Protein
5 g
Carbs
36 g
Fat
18 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does puits d'amour take?
About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?
Yes. It has no meat or fish.
What can I use instead of caster sugar?
Caster sugar, same amount.

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