Profiteroles

Anytime I’m asked to bring a dessert to a party, there’s one recipe I always know that I can fall back on: profiteroles.  Who doesn’t love profiteroles?  From the crisp puff of choux pastry to the sweet creamy filling to the decadent chocolate topping, everything about this dessert is scrumptious.  While profiteroles are traditionally filled with vanilla ice cream, I choose to use a sweetened whipped cream instead, so that I can make a platter of them ahead of time for parties.

Add the sifted dry ingredients to boiling water and butter.

Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, beating constantly.

Allow dough to cool slightly before beating in eggs, one at a time.

Divide dough into tablespoon-sized mounds and bake for about 30 minutes, until puffy and browned.

Cut the pastries in half and pipe in sweetened whipped cream using a pastry bag.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and spoon chocolate over pastries.

The profiteroles are now ready to enjoy!

Profiteroles

¾ cup all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch of nutmeg

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3 eggs

10 ounces semisweet chocolate

2 cups heavy cream

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and butter a baking sheet

2. Sift together the flour, salt and nutmeg.  Heat the butter and ¾ cup water in a medium saucepan until it boils.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add the flour mixture all at once. Cook mixture for about 4 minutes, beating constantly with a wooden spoon.  The mixture should start to pull away from the pan.   Remove from heat, and allow mixture to cool slightly.

3. Beat one egg and set aside.  Add remaining eggs, one at a time, to the mixture, beating well after each egg.  Add the beaten egg slowly.  The mixture should be shiny and should still hold its shape.

4.  Divide the dough into 12 tablespoon-sized mounds and drop onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  The pastries should be puffy and browned.  Turn off the oven and allow the pastries to cool with the oven door opened.

5. To make the cream, whip the heavy cream and vanilla until the cream holds a medium peak.  Beat in the confectioner’s sugar.

6. To make the chocolate sauce, melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

7. To prepare profiteroles, split the cooled pastries in half, and use a pastry bag to pipe in the whipped cream filling.  Use a spoon to pour the chocolate sauce over each puff.  Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, and then serve.

Inspired by the recipe for "Chocolate Profiteroles" found in the book Desserts: mouthwatering recipes for delectable dishes, edited by Rosemary Wilkinson.  Buy online at:  http://www.amazon.com/Desserts-Mouthwatering-Recipes-Delectable-Dishes/dp/1840384484/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1293747458&sr=8-6

Posted by Jennifer