Croquembouche

I’ve decided that this New Year’s Eve I’m going to make Croquembouche (one of those mad towers of profiteroles) for the pudding at my Mum’s annual New Years food and cocktail thing.

I usually do the pudding for the New Years thing. Last year I made Lemon Posset and Shortbread, only I was having an MS relapse that caused frequent involuntary movements in my arms and legs. I was getting my Shortbread out of the oven when my arm pulled back towards me, I dropped the Shortbread and it smashed all over the floor. Sometimes MS is a gigantic pain in the arse.

In November 2015 I bought a cake recipe book about making choux pastry and decided that amongst other things, I was going to use 2016 to become a choux pastry Bad Ass. By 2017 choux pastry was going to be totally my thing “Oh sure, I know Letty McHugh,” the people of 2017 would say “she makes profiteroles for breakfast”. As it turned out 2016 had other plans. It’s been a hard and weird year for a lot of people, what with Brexit and Trump and the Bake Off moving to Channel 4. I had 3 relapses and a laborious and boring fight to get the DMD’s I was first recommended in January. I think I made profiteroles once.

I don’t regret the last year even though it didn’t turn out how I expected it to. I found out that I’m a different kind of Bad Ass. The kind of Bad Ass who makes serious grown up phone calls and out manoeuvres stroppy receptionists. After 2016 I know I can rely on myself to fight my own corner if I need to.

I had a phone call this week to confirm I’ll be starting Tecfidera at some point in the next 3 weeks. I’ll be so relieved to get hold of them and get on with my life, but I’d like this year to be about something more than my chronic illness and the admin that goes with it.

So on New Year’s Eve I, Letty McHugh, am going to make a mad tower of choux pastry and spun sugar, and the people of 2017 will be able to say that I can make profiteroles for breakfast.