Profiteroles
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp butter, cut into 4 slices
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 4 oz (115g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- 2 tbsp confectioners sugar
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Piping bag with a 1/2 in (1cm) plain tip and a 1/4 in (5mm) plain tip
- Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).
- Line 2 large baking trays with wax paper.
- Sift the flour on to a separate piece of wax paper.
- To make the cream puffs, combine the water, butter, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat; make sure the butter melts.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until the mixture forms a very thick paste that lightly covers the bottom of the pan.
- Remove and cool for 5 minutes.
- Gradually stir the eggs into the paste (it will be loose at first, but will come together with stirring) to make a stiff, smooth, and shiny dough.
- Spoon the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 in (1cm) plain tip.
- Pipe 16 walnut-sized rounds on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 1518 minutes, until well puffed and golden.
- Remove from the oven and make a small slit in the side of each puff to allow the steam to escape.
- Return to the oven for 35 minutes more, until crisp.
- Cool completely on the sheet.
- To make the sauce, bring 1/2 cup of the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, butter, and syrup.
- Let stand until the chocolate is softened, then whisk until smooth.
- Keep warm.
- To make the filling, clean the pastry bag and tip.
- Whip the remaining 1 cup cream with the confectioner's sugar and vanilla in a chilled bowl until stiff.
- Transfer to the pastry bag fitted with the tip.
- Cut each puff in half crosswise.
- Fill the bottom half of each with whipped cream and replace the top.
- To serve, pour the sauce over the puffs and serve at once.
- Variation:
- Chocolate Eclairs: Instead of piping mounds on to the prepared baking sheets, pipe 2in (5cm) lengths and bake as for the puffs.
- You should be able to make 10 eclairs.
- Let them cool, then fill as for the puffs, and spread with 5 1/2 oz (150g) melted bittersweet chocolate that has been allowed to cool.
- Let set for a few minutes in the refrigerator before serving.
water, flour, salt, butter, eggs, heavy cream, bittersweet chocolate, butter, corn syrup, confectioners sugar, vanilla
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/profiteroles (may not work)