Croquembouche (puff, christmas tree)

Ingredients

Puffs

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 6 eggs

Carmelized sugar

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 16 glace cherries, halved

Directions

1. To make Puffs:preheat oven 400f.
2. Bring water, butter,sugar & salt to a roiling boil in a large saucepan.
3. Add flour all at once, stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan clean. Remove from heat.
4. Beat in eggs, one at at a time with a wooden spoon until paste is shiny& smooth Drop pastry by well rounded teasp, 1 1/2" apart on 2 ungreased cookie sheets Bake 35 minutes or until puffed and golden.
5. Cool on a wire rack.
6. Prepare carmelized sugar:.
7. Heat sugar & lemon juice in a heavy medium sized skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the sugar is melted and light golden brown.
8. Do not let it burn Remove from heat.
9. Putting it together:.

10. Place 14 puffs in a 9" circle on a platter.
11. Fill in the center of the circle with about 5 more puffs.
12. Working quickly and carefully dip the bottom of remaining puffs in the carmalized sugar (don't let it touch your skin), one at a time and place each on top of the base puffs in a slightly smaller circle Fill in the center with puffs.
13. Continue making each circle smaller to form a tree shape.
14. Drizzle the remaining sugar over the tree and decorate with the cherry halves You may refrigerate for 1-2 days.