Profiteroles

(from castro15’s recipe box)

Categories: Desserts

Ingredients

  • Choux Pastry (profiterole pastry balls):
  • 7 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup flour , plain / all purpose
  • 4 eggs each with shell, at room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • Filling Options (choose one):
  • Custard (below)
  • Ice cream
  • Whipped cream
  • Thick Custard Filling (Creme Patissiere):
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup white sugar , caster / superfine
  • 1/2 cup cornflour / cornstarch
  • 2 1/3 cups milk , full fat best
  • 1/4 cup extra white sugar , caster / superfine
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract or essence)
  • Chocolate Sauce :
  • 8 oz dark chocolate (or US semi-sweet)
  • 1 cup cream

Directions

  1. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When mostly melted, add water then bring to a rapid simmer.

  2. While liquid is simmering, add flour and pinch of salt, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon (still on stove) until the dough forms sort of a ball and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan (see video). About 1 minute.

  3. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 10 minutes.

  4. Preheat oven to 220C/420F (standard) or 200C/390F (fan/convection).

  5. Lightly grease 2 large or 3 standard baking trays with butter, then line with paper.

  6. Add 1 egg into batter, beat until combined. Add remaining eggs one at a time making sure each is combined before adding the next. Dough should be like a thick paste (see video).

  7. Place dough into a piping bag fitted with a 13 – 15mm round tip (1/2 – 3/5").

  8. pe 2 tsp blobs (about 1.7 cm/ 2/3" blob base) 5cm/2" apart (I do 16 on each tray). Makes 40 – 50 blobs.

  9. Wet your finger with water and pat down any peaks to form domes (for nice round balls).

  10. Bake 2 trays at a time for 15 minutes, switching the trays halfway.

  11. Remove from oven, reduce heat to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan).

  12. Pierce balls with knife then return to oven for 5 – 7 minutes until golden and crispy.

  13. Transfer to rack, cool fully before filling with custard, cream or split then fill with ice cream. Drizzle with chocolate and serve!

  14. Chocolate:

  15. Place cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Microwave 4 × 30 seconds, stirring in between, until incorporated. Cool to warm, then use for drizzling or dipping.

  16. Custard:

  17. Whisk yolks and sugar, then whisk in cornflour.

  18. Place milk, vanilla and extra sugar in a saucepan over medium high. Heat until just before simmering.

  19. Whisk in 1/4 cup hot milk into egg mixture. Whisk in another 1/4 cup. Then add remaining milk mixture and whisk.

  20. Pour back into saucepan. Return to stove on medium low (low for strong stoves). Whisk constantly 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture thicks to a thick dolloping custard consistency.

  21. Remove from heat immediately, pour into bowl. Press cling wrap onto surface (stops skin forming) then refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours until set. Do not whisk again once set (loses thickness).

  22. Spoon into piping bag fitting with a very fine nozzle. Then pipe into profiteroles (use the hole pierced during bake, or make a new hole).

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