Its plump shape and its small collar of cream make the Religieuse one of the most iconic pastries in France. Here is the recipe !

Ingredients

For the choux pastry :

• 250 ml of water

• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

• 75g butter

• 150g flour

• 4 eggs For the coffee pastry cream

• 40g egg yolks

• 120g caster sugar

• 45g cornstarch

• 500ml whole milk

• 1 teaspoon of coffee extract or a strong espresso

For the coffee buttercream

• 1 egg

• 100g caster sugar

• 30 g of water

• 100g butter at room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon Trablit

For the coffee fondant

• 150 g pastry fondant

• 1 teaspoon coffee extract

Instructions

Prepare the choux pastry

• Prepare all weigh-ins.

• In a saucepan, bring the water, powdered sugar, salt and butter to a boil.

• Off the heat, add the flour all at once and stir with a spatula until you get a ball that comes off the sides of the pan.

• Put the pan back on the heat and dry out the panade, stirring it briskly until it leaves a veil at the bottom of the pan.

• Pour the panade into the bowl of the robot and, with the leaf, whip it for a few moments to bring it down in temperature.

• Add the eggs, one by one, letting the mixer run and waiting for them to be well incorporated before adding more.

• Put the choux pastry in a pocket fitted with a 10mm plain tip.

• Reserve in the refrigerator.

• Preheat the oven to 180° (th6) and grease a metal plate.

• When the oven is up to temperature, layer 8 puffs 6cm in diameter for the base of the coffee nuns and 8 puffs 3cm in diameter for the heads.

• Bake for about 30 minutes.

The puffs should be well cooked and their color should be uniform.

Once out of the oven, set aside the puffs on a wire rack at room temperature. Prepare the coffee custard

• In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and powdered sugar to whiten them.

• Add the coffee extract and cornstarch and mix well.

• Boil milk and coffee if not using coffee extract.

• Pour the milk in 3 times into the mixing bowl and mix vigorously.

• Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until boiling.

• Transfer the coffee pastry cream to a clean dish, wrap in film and set aside in the fridge. Prepare the coffee buttercream

• With a spatula, cream the butter so that it is ointment.

• Whisk the egg to whiten it.

• Bring the water and powdered sugar to 118°C and drizzle this syrup over the blanched egg while letting the food processor run at low speed. Increase the speed of the robot to cool the device.

• Add the softened butter gradually while whisking vigorously.

• Finally add the coffee extract.

• Refrigerate the coffee buttercream.

• Assembly and decoration of the nuns in the cafe

• Pierce a hole under each puff and put pastry cream and buttercream in a pocket.

• Use a plain nozzle or a filling nozzle for the pastry cream pocket and a sultana nozzle or a fluted nozzle for the buttercream pocket.

how to garnish coffee nuns :

• Fill the puffs with coffee pastry cream.

• Reheat the fondant in a bain-marie or in the microwave by adding a few drops of Trablit and do not let it exceed 35°.

Fondant nuns with coffee

• Glaze the fondant puffs by dipping or with a spatula.

• Place the heads on the bodies of the nuns, sticking them with a touch of buttercream.

• Pipe dots of coffee buttercream at the junction of the heads and bodies of the coffee nuns and a dot on top.

• Reserve in the refrigerator before tasting.