Claire Saffitz Teaches Amateur How To Make Croquembouche | Dessert Person

Claire Saffitz Teaches Amateur How To Make Croquembouche | Dessert Person.
In this episode of Dessert Person, Claire teaches her brother-in-law Nick, a dessert enthusiast but amateur baker, how to make Croquembouche. It’s a French tower of caramelized cream puffs and an exceptionally challenging pastry feat that combines lots of technique, precision, and architecture. What could go wrong! It’s an episode with a lot of learning, a lot of laughs, and a lot of stuck-on sugar, so check it out!
#ClaireSaffitz​​ #Baking​​ #Croquembouche
Croquembouche
Special Equipment:
Pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch round tip, 1-inch round cutter
Craquelin
1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz /113g), at room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (5.3 oz / 150g)
1 cup all-purpose flour (4.6 oz / 130g)
Pinch of kosher salt
Assembly
Pâte à choux (page 346), transferred to a pastry bag
Pastry Cream, Chocolate Variation (page 322)
1 cup crème fraîche (8.5 oz / 240g)
3 1/4 cups granulated sugar (23 oz / 650g)
Video Breakdown:
0:00​​ Start
0:06​​​ Intro to Claire Makes Croquembouche
0:11​​​ Nick San Filippo
0:36​​​ Dessert Person Intro Animation
0:54​​​ Explanation of Croquembouche / Brother-In-Law
2:17​​​ Ingredients & Special Equipment
3:08​​​ Make The Craquelin
5:33​​​ Roll out The Craquelin
7:07 Make The ​ Pâte à Choux
11:06​ Pipe The Cream Puffs
14:04​​​ Make Holes & Fill The Cream Puffs
16:32 Special Guest
17:25​​ Make The Caramel
18:51​ Dip Cream Puffs in Caramel
20:42 Build The Croquembouche
22:18 Outro/Recap
24:08 Milk & Brownies In A Tree
Thanks for watching!
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Claire Saffitz on Instagram: / ​​​​​
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Dessert Person Cookbook
Photographer: Alex Lau
Food Stylist: Sue Li
Prop Stylist: Astrid Chastka
Video Series:
Producer/Director: @VincentCross
Camera Operator: Calvin Robertson
Sound Engineer/Music: Michael Guggino
Editor: Hal McFall
Animation Credits:
Character Designer/Animator: Jack Sherry
Character Rigger: Johara Dutton
Background/Prop Designer: M. Cody Wiley
Background Illustrator: Jagriti Khirwar

[@CSaffitz]

What did y'all think of Nick's Croquembouche? Who would you like to see next on the show?

[@finnhayden7211]

SOHLA!

[@ryannordheimer]

Some fans would be cool!

[@flerphead]

Me!

[@howchildish]

Get Jo Firestone to make your gooey butter cake, or your "overkill" dark chocolate raspberry layered caked.

[@lechatbotte.]

Samin Nosrat.

[@ElizabethGonzalez-tj8gl]

“That said I hope I don’t get frustrated or impatient at any point.” narrator: _She did in fact get impatient almost immediately._

[@Furen]

Nick: *Walking on a beach with the sad peanut Christmas theme*

[@aleks-33]

@@Furen hHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

[@wohdinhel]

in other news, it’s cold in Siberia

[@TheNinnyfee]

If you already think about not getting impatient you are triggering it right this second.

[@incidentshappen]

the suuuuper subtle ominous bass note that played under that line was gold!

[@Valkyrie723]

Can you teach Vinny a recipe? He's been shooting cooking videos for a while and I want to see if any of the cooking stuck with him

[@sojansetly6810]

I second this!!

[@jamesadrianpanganiban880]

Claire!!! You need to see this.

[@prittyyyy]

I want Vinny too! Please!

[@mariaj3263]

We want Vinny!!!!!!

[@myahh.fran_]

Yess Vinny on camera!!

[@fofosyrie3798]

The way he proudly smiled after every step is warming my lil heart

[@mikaylai4535]

22:20 Clair maniacally laughing while perfectly twirling her caramel while nick is panicking was one of the best things I’ve ever seen :) such a good episode

[@mayarosales09]

If impatience is a trait among all the Saffitz Sisters, then Nick's personality makes so much sense to balance that out with Jane

[@itamarolmert3549]

True

[@NSFOTTO]

You ain’t lying LOL and this made Jane 😂

[@13yorkdukes]

Nick standing holding his cromquembouche blob and eating them is such a mood

[@ilznidiotic]

croquemblob

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Same but replace the croquembouche with ten-piece McNuggets because I can't bake

[@BoStark]

blob is the right word.

[@evilqueen6402]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 nick didnt bake either, try something new once in a while instead of telling yourself what you cant do. no one gets everything right the first time. or be honest and say you dont wan to.

[@aclonymous]

croquemborb

[@amycristinenarine145]

Baking Fairy Godmother needs to be a series where Claire teaches people with little baking skills really pretty and complicated desserts

[@mommingpursuit]

I needed Claire to be my fairy godbaker when I was making my daughter's birthday cake 😂

[@Cutiepenguin42]

I love that Claire has her pastry bag in a glass measuring cup while Nick has his in some sort of sports game plastic cup

[@kaciwells5868]

omg that was when i was sold on nick. it's from raising cane's, a chicken finger chain restaurant that's arguably the best in the south 😂

[@TheBraceygirl]

@@kaciwells5868 Who argues against that?! Cane's is amazing.

[@Daria-ty7pg]

Nick has huge Jack Black energy I love it

[@hannahjoy4857]

He literally is Jack Black.

[@elainesamuels4804]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought this!!

[@Margar02]

And looking like David Cross

[@kakinapotiti2010]

Yeeeees

[@floralendurance]

THE LAUGH THO. HE IS IS DOUBLE

[@davidgalvez516]

the first spatula he used 😭😭😭😭 a mood

[@marmndc]

I like how she didn't laugh at him but just asked him if he had a different kind of spatula. I would have laughed and pointed, I would not be a good teacher lol

[@the_unknown_user..]

Me vs the girl she tells me not to worry about xD

[@KoruXypress]

Bring back your childhood friend who won the cake competition with the cake mix. I think that would make for a hilarious episode considering how blunt and straightforward she is. 😂😂😂

[@brendanconnelly1835]

Yes, couldn’t agree more. She was very witty and had the Brad effect of getting under Claire’s skin in a good way.

[@KoruXypress]

@@brendanconnelly1835 Doesn't she? 😂 Jo Firestone! That's her name. IMHO, I think she fits into the category of an amateur, everyday lay person in the kitchen aspiring to bake (but not really... so cake mix it is 😆).

[@abbyl4621]

The shots of nick struggling with his blob meanwhile Claire artfully stringing the sugar threads around her tower got me lol

[@sierranevadavideos7151]

I love Nick, he is the best addition to the Claire baking universe.

[@blobster91]

I feel like Claire is the type of teacher that would get so concerned about the way the student is messing up the recipe that she would just do it herself.

[@jessicafarewell5429]

Wait I’m so confused because i missed most of what she said but is Nick her BIL and Jane her sister? I thought her real name was Jane for a second 😂

[@blobster91]

@@jessicafarewell5429 the chef in this video you mean? That's Claire. Her sisters name is Jane and nick is Claires brother in law.

[@blobster91]

@@SimonBliss-ju5mq haha I know

[@stijnvandrongelen5625]

Which is why this format is great, because now Claire can't actually physically intervene.

[@an.dr.16561]

Exactly she seem the most annoying person ever.

[@CaseyAlexanderJa]

Claire “I love teaching people” Also Claire “I’m very impatient” lol love her

[@laartje24]

I'm just staring at Clairs cone shape being very impressed. I know she is a professional but I am still very impressed.

[@hopegold883]

Agree!! I’ve seen lots by pros, and like she said, many use a form. Hers really was stunning. And no attention seems to have been drawn to it. Except your comment. Which should have more likes.

[@chrism70kc]

Claire is great, but she really comes alive when she has other people to interact with! I hope a fully vaccinated Claire can get out of her home kitchen and start doing videos with more guests in person!

[@METC500]

let 👏 claire 👏 bake 👏 outside

[@meowmeow8591]

So true! I just found this last night. Claire with Christina Chaey from BA discussing Dessert Person. I f you haven't seen this, kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZOVh6Kpf8-FqtU.

[@chrism70kc]

@@meowmeow8591 I'd love to see Claire & Chaey together again!

[@9hoppybunny]

@@meowmeow8591 ahh thanks for posting this! I missed seeing them together

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Vinny's already doing the camera work; just have the camera guy learn to bake.

[@nkathryn93]

I actually loooooove watching Claire teach. She’s so patient and helpful and supportive. You can tell she doesn’t apply the same skepticism to others that she has for herself, which makes me wish she was kinder to herself, but also think that she’s a really good, supportive, kind teacher. Hope y’all do more vids like this, love seeing Claire interact with others.

[@tammam8776]

@16:31 "Maya cream puff hunter" is the cutest thing ever🥰

[@cptntwinkletoes]

The flipping spatula instead of a scraping spatula cracked me up! haha

[@Algardraug]

I didn't even consider that they are the same word in English until now.

[@trentskillet]

Claire: "You know that the Saffitz family members have sometimes low patience?" Nick: "..................Yes" Oh he knows 😂😂

[@maritsamendez5630]

I love his attitude, it’s so positive and that he smiled the whole time, his smile seemed so genuine.

[@fontyfole]

Nick’s attitude is the best! Warms my heart

[@kumoduo]

"I'm already impatient, put it in the microwave." MOOD

[@enfjftw]

I literally remember thinking to myself in previous videos "I want more Nick, this guy rocks." This is fantastic!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Yeah, seeing him in the thumbnail was a nice surprise. It's great this is the kind of series that's bringing us what we want.

[@AmeliaBell28]

I LOVE this format!!! It's so helpful to see Claire troubleshoot problems in real time, it makes me feel way less intimidated by the more advanced/complicated recipes. I'd love to see more of this! Maybe like once a month or something Claire can do one of these videos?

[@michaelkoeiman5661]

This! That’s it exactly

[@nataliemeeks6869]

When Nick said "it's more like a Croquembomb" I died lmao loved this episode

[@Kevin-ql3wv]

OH mai! I love this concept so much. Claire should try and teach an amateur how to make a souffle next, or a croissant! :D

[@halopunch]

Love love love Claire, but more Nick, please! (Also more of Claire teaching -- Claire, you are a great teacher!!)

[@thesecretmeeting]

I think Nick’s laugh might cure cancer, so yes, let’s add more of him into Claire’s dessertverse please 🙏🏼

[@NSFOTTO]

😂🙌🙏

[@navidd2473]

This should be a new series on your page. Nick seems like a chill dude. Marketable.

[@Veronyak]

I really appreciate how Claire made it clear that not only is this a difficult recipe but that this recipe can either take up to 4hrs- a whole day to create. I sometimes get discouraged when I make something that takes me hours to do and feel that either I am not experienced enough for this recipe or that I am just working too slow. It's nice to get a time range and difficulty level on a recipe. Croquembouche always looks delicious when Clair makes it, but at least I can now determine that this is like a boss battle of desserts.

[@cynonowo]

nick is so ready to be a youtuber it's adorable 💙

[@juliazw4086]

I think it's a great idea to have her brother in law every episode she does something challenging just to prove that anyone can try even with little experience. She can point out mistakes more accurately and I think it would be a great lesson

[@akuma1319]

Brother in law. Nick is the husband of Clair's sister. :)

[@juliazw4086]

@@akuma1319 Thank you for clarifying :)

[@shaetanner1703]

Nick is so charismatic you guys could make a second video series where he just tries the recipes on his own, tuesdays are armature attempts and thursdays are claire the pro!

[@Issor_Rossi]

I'll be waiting for "teaching jo firestar" video

[@chesirecat1000]

Yes please! I love Jo and Claire’s interaction, especially after hearing them doing an episode of a podcast together!

[@NotContinuum]

"We're whisking, and we're spilling." This man is awesome.

[@MichelleECullen05]

Nick did not disappoint, love is positive personality.

[@knittedbywhitney]

Loved this episode! It was great to see Claire's dynamic with her brother-in-law and she's clearly very good at teaching because she was always providing him with helpful instructions and assistance. Nick had such a great attitude and was clearly having a great time. Would love to see more of Claire and Nick together!

[@7Lalarox7]

Loved this...Nick seems so fun and while I love watching Claire make things, I would rarely think of attempting them myself as they seem too complex but seeing her teach Nick makes a difficult recipe like this for an average at home cook seem doable or at least fun to attempt. Please have a regular segment with him.

[@dominicw4723]

I loved both of your chemistry! Honesly, I thought I'd miss Claire not being around Brad from BA but, I feel like Nick gives that same positive energy. I also relate to how Claire was asking if Nick was regretting making croquembouche during the process but sometimes there's no regret... its just plain old fatigue.

[@catmor84]

Absolutely LOVE the idea of you teaching people either remotely, or in person, especially some your incredibly sassy friends or family members from previous episodes but also other people it would be Absolutely Epic!!

[@LisaS5462]

"Flavor is most important" is so true. It doesn't matter if home bakers make something beautiful enough to grace magazine/cookbook covers, end up with the most consistent product, or demonstrate the most flawless techniques. At the core of homemade food is the adventure of learning something new, making memories, and enjoying something delicious! I'm loving the attitude this channel is putting forth.

[@lechatbotte.]

How fun is this!! Just what I needed today a huge dose of Claire and a newbie. He’s brave to try something that’s not a simple dessert.

[@EllenHamptonFilgo]

Yes! More of Claire teaching - she's really encouraging. I loved how she found lots of positive things to say to Nick at the end.

[@timothyroberts4217]

Genuinely thought that was David Cross in the thumbnail...

[@cloudglider]

Really appreciate having an amateur on the show and being honest about the time it takes for someone who's inexperienced. Makes me feel more confident and willing to try it out.

[@jud4312]

I'd really like to see more of Nick in these videos just so I can see how much of a baker he grows into. His 'down for anything' personality is such a plus.

[@albertonajera1085]

Idk why but nick reminds me so much of jack black, so i just like to think of this episode as claire teaching jack how to do croquembouche

[@myanatomycalheart4969]

Someone call jack black i need this to happen

[@andromedadrey7954]

I thought the exact same thing.

[@gaurishshah9503]

I imagined claire strict and annoyed as a teacher but she mostly was cute and detached mostly . P.S My man Nick is the coolest dude ever

[@DM-01]

Her sister is my professor at my school.... it’s uncanny sometimes

[@lamphiaalonso5341]

honestly props to nick for taking the whole process so well, as someone who has only ever burn cake, this recipe would be hella intimidating

[@ThatAsianMoment]

I have been so afraid to try Claire’s croquembouche recipe bc look at the darn thing, it’s intimidating as heck!! Seeing Nick’s attempt makes me so happy, he’s a completely new baker who was able to spend 7 HOURS constructing a beautiful croquem-ball, it makes me think I should suck it up and try it this weekend!

[@PhotonBeast]

Do it!

[@NSFOTTO]

Yah do it! Tasty treats for the win! 🙌🤘

[@cptntwinkletoes]

Absolutely love the idea of this becoming a series! It's great to see you problem solve on the fly with someone following along.

[@molliewatts6445]

I love the idea of Claire teaching someone to bake something. Not only is it fun to watch the teacher/student dynamic, but also because I'm sure I would be/am making some of the same mistakes they will make and it would be great to learn from them!

[@he6733]

LOVED NICK!!! he has such a fun attitude and it is fun to see people who don't know how to bake. Have him on again!

[@swsarah]

I got so excited when Nick pulled out the Snowville crème fraîche. I got hooked on their brand after living briefly in SE Ohio Appalachia. So happy to be back in the region to get it again!

[@DavidaThatch]

YEEESSSS I've been waiting for croquembouche!!

[@Youtubekanal-fp9gz]

I liked this very much, especially that it was not that typical "OMG-Backing gone wrong - Fail" video nowadays. You guys really tried. Very cool. And holy moly, that tower is impressive.

[@stonee1968]

Really liked the interaction between you two - you seem more comfortable talking to an actual person rather than staring at the camera talking to the masses.

[@Wonderwhatyouare]

I love, love watching Claire teaching others. It feels like I'm getting a lesson from her directly. Thanks Dessert Person. I hope you all have happy holidays

[@carliewatson1936]

Claire as a fairy godmother of baking makes so much sense! If anyone who is artistically inclined wants to draw a version of this and share it here, that would be awesome!

[@brendanconnelly1835]

Claire needs to have a Halloween special either as the fairy godmother of baking or the evil witch of impatience.

[@LoveandGrace22]

THIS IS AMAZING! We need more of "Claire tries to teach someone something". This was very entertaining!

[@SlightlyMiscalculated]

The warning about sugar burns is legit. One of my culinary classmates in high school dropped his pot of sugar syrup behind me and it splashed up onto the back of my legs and put me in the ER, it burned off my hair and left me a blistery mess for a week.

[@jf2801]

Nick is so cute and wholesome and the chemistry you two have is so nice. When you said you were holding the bowl to show him, and he said he's only holding his to show you, it's like he was a kid, showing his teacher his artwork, trying to get a gold star lol. Also, you are really good at instructions. Like, even if you say you get impatient, I think it's nice that you can be clear and concise with what to do. It helps a lot.

[@MariaLCirillo]

I loved this video so much!! As a complete novice who considers herself "bad" at most cooking and baking, it was really encouraging to watch Claire teach Nick. I would love more like this!

[@Kevin-ql3wv]

Claire being the fairy godmothers of desserts! :D

[@ArcusLibri]

Aw Nick has such a great attitude 💛

[@AM-gy3pg]

Woww, absolutely love Nick's energy. He seems like a genuine pure and loving character

[@OriginalElysian]

Claire's croquembouche is picture perfect as expected, but I really loved Nick's croquembomb! It oozes charm (and caramel). Great episode!

[@uiscepreston]

I like Nick's super chill happy-go-lucky vibe.

[@nataly8034]

Nick is the actual best! Please have him back on as a guest again.

[@greentape7817]

This was profoundly adorable. What a good pupil with a can-do attitude! Nice work all around.

[@SarahGuinee]

I love this idea. I’m slowly getting into baking myself and watching you do it at your professional level alongside someone also at a novice level is super helpful and informative. More of this for sure!

[@creesPV]

This is an amazing idea. I've been thinking what does an original Claire series looks like and I think this is perfect

[@a4da501]

Enjoyed seeing Nick and his energy! He should be a recurring guest!!!

[@chrismuramatsu6600]

I love to watch you bake because you are amazing. I also enjoyed you teaching your brother-in-law how to make the incredibly challenging Croquembouche. It would be lovely to see you instruct a novice baker from time to time.

[@darkregin2]

I'm hoping to make a tradition with my boyfriend that we spend new years eve making a croquembouche each year, and then it's the first thing we eat in the new year

[@alexinarose5344]

Would definitely watch more episodes like this. I watch every episode regardless, but what a cool concept. Nick's a trooper!

[@nikki10nikko]

im sick at home and watching this video made me feel sm better, love love love watching claire teach family members how to make stuff. something about the warmth of the interaction makes me feel good watching it too, very pleasant and very soothing to the soul. thank u sm for the video

[@devinhernandez8583]

I can't get over how cute Nick is.... such a doll

[@megancumming3018]

Claire definitely has enough personality to carry the show on her own, but it was also really fun to see a "regular joe" make one of her fancier recipes! Really makes me feel like I could make this myself!

[@Charlotte-wk8du]

Nick has big Jack Black energy and I'm here for it

[@The_Mashupman]

Legitimately thought it wás in fact Jack Black, from the thumbnail

[@TheSwauzz]

The way he talks is just like Jack Black and I love it.

[@emeraldtablets]

OMG! I have to stop the video every few minutes because Nick is just adorable. I have a proper crush!!! Nick! You did such a good job. Love the croquemBomb!

[@iancryar6431]

Nick’s personality rocks and his willingness to make this with his lack of baking experience shows what a good sport he is.

[@heidi4650]

Claire you are incredible at what you do. I was totally taken with how well your brother in law did. It was fun to watch. My son is the one who set me onto you, we would watch your take on how you made your version of kit Kat, oreo etc. Thank you for sharing with us. Oh, and I watched your fruit cake episode last night, that looked incredible. I had one as a second wedding cake, my mom actually brought 2 home from England and I decorated them with marzipan, to match my wedding dress.

[@StencilMunky]

Love Nick's energy and enthusiasm. I would want to watch him make Kouign-amann (pg. 257), with Claire's help.

[@GloriousBirds]

Claire I love seeing you in your element teaching and making something so complicated. Honestly whatever makes you happy I will love to see.

[@terriemoulton1084]

I would absolutely love to see more of this. I've always been curious about how Croquembouche was made and I'm so surprised he did it so well on the first try. Clearly some superior teaching!

[@leire5072]

Nick is if sunshine was a person, he makes everything better. He should be on all the videos

[@ushere5791]

THIS. THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS and THIS.

[@NSFOTTO]

🙌🙏☀️

[@Price_of_Fame]

This was a fun way to do a Croquembouche episode since Claire already made it herself on another channel. Great vid!

[@kelsiec1286]

This was an absolute joy to watch! Nick has such an endearing and positive attitude!

[@soyolivial]

Claire, you are wonderful. I am so proud of you and your new content. Thank you for letting us take a dip into your little baking world.

[@chaitanyabattula5579]

Best one of the series so far 😄

[@melaniebagwell]

Can you imagine if Claire did this with US? Like we enter to join her in a video and she teaches us over Zoom and we get to be featured in a video 😭😭

[@tracycartmell8974]

Love watching you walk someone through a challenging recipe based on their bravery, your patience and the combined experience levels

[@aeromero1980]

I made one of these in culinary school and one for my graduation party. The amount the swear words you heard when someone burnt themselves on that caramel was hilarious. They are a labor of love.

[@smr5601]

Love the idea of Claire teaching novice bakers how to make her recipes

[@BakingByBrandon]

THIS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA AHHHH IM SO EXCITED

[@dielsalduh]

This was awesome! Nick has such a great attitude. Absolutely have him back! Love watching you teach and collaborate with others.

[@ashlynickes6915]

LOVED this. Of course I love every episode because, Claire is the best, but I really loved the teaching format because it feels like you’re really making bakes like this so much more approachable.