Anyone do them and if so, got any tips on how to get started?

Rachel

i am not sure what it is... but heres a bumb

The classic recipe is a lot of work, but pretty impressive-for a few minutes.

Start by making small creampuff shells - pate choux

They are usually filled with pastry cream

Then make caramel syrup to make spun sugar. The filled puffs are dipped lightly in the cooled, but still liquid, syrup and placed in a ring about 8 inches diameter.

Each additional row is placed on top of the last ring, in a slightly smaller circle, working your way up to a peak.

To finish, spun sugar threads are made from hot syrup and draped around the tower of puffs. that part can be eliminated.

I would check our Martha Stewart for specific recipes.

you can also play on that idea and instead do cream puffs dipped in chocolate instead of carmel

Here's a thread to give more info:


http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-482645.html#482645

Lord, this thing put me in the hospital with a stress-related gallstone attack! I've only done one, and they didn't want it really the tratitionally tall towerl, but to have a wider base. Mine consisted of 400 profiteroles (all made from scratch!), 1/3 filled with white chocolate mousse, 1/3 with dark chcocolate mousse and the other 1/3 with creme patissiere. My advice is to make the pastry shells in advance and freeze them. When defrosted, return them briefly to the oven to crisp up again and cool before filling. AND PLEASE CHARGE WHAT THIS NIGHTMARE IS WORTH - I did mine for $1.50 per serving (3 profiteroles), after all the stress and aggravation, I would never do this again for a penny less than $4.50 per serving!