Choux pastry is one of those wonderful French inventions used when making “Profiteroles,” and “Éclairs,” and the well known “Gâteaux St Honoré.” There are two versions, ‘sweet choux pastry’ which can be flavoured with vanilla sugar and ‘savoury choux pastry,’ which is seasoned with salt and pepper and often cheese and used to make the well known Gougères, French cheese puffs.

“Profiteroles au Chocolat,” are a family favourite,  filled with ‘ Creme Chantilly,’ (Lightly sweetened cream) and covered with home made hot chocolate sauce!!!

It may look complicated, but believe me it isn’t! I have added lots of photographs to give you a step by step guide. Cooking students, this is especially for you!

 

 

 

Medium /Easy

 

 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking time : 35 minutes

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

Makes 18-20 Profiteroles

 

50 g plain Flour ( All purpose )

25 g butter

1 egg lightly beaten

1 yolk

1.5 dl water

(1 extra egg for glazing profiteroles)

 

Creme Chantilly

150 g  fresh cream

1 level tsp vanilla sugar

 

Chocolate Sauce

100 g bitter chocolate 70% cocoa

2 tbs sugar

1.5 dl  hot water

50 g butter

pinch of salt

 

Method

*Oven temperature  230.C/ 450.F  for ten minutes, then turn down to 190.C/375.F for  a further 15 minutes.

It is important that the flour you use is perfectly dry. If in any doubt, sieve  flour onto a sheet of grease-proof paper and place in the oven at 100.C for five minutes. Then leave to cool.

Pre-heat your oven. Place shelf just below centre.

 

1. Sieve flour onto flat sheet of grease-proof paper.

2. Put the butter and water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.

3. While it is boiling rapidly, draw aside from heat and immediately pour in your flour all at once.

4. Straight away, beat the mixture hard with a wooden spoon, returning the saucepan to the heat, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the saucepan and forms a ball. Now remove from heat.

5. Beat in the yolk of the egg and then the whole egg which has been previously lightly whisked. It may not be necessary to add all the egg. You want a pliable thick mixture. See photographs.

6. Beat hard until it goes shiny. This could take 2-3 minutes. Best done by hand…..

7. Place in piping bag with “Plain” nozzle about 1.5 cm wide. Pipe small balls about the size of a walnut onto a buttered baking tray leaving 2 cm gap between each one, as they will expand during cooking. Use a knife dipped each time into cold water to cut off mixture from your piping bag.

8. Glaze each ball with beaten egg, using a pastry brush.

9. Place in pre-heated oven at 230.C/450.C  for ten minutes and then turn down to 190.C/375.F  and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Creme Chantilly

10. In the mean time make up your “Creme Chantilly,” by beating your cream in a bowl, together with a teaspoon of sugar until stiff.

Place in piping bag with very small pipe. (See photograph.) Reserve in fridge until ready to use.

Chocolate Sauce

11.  Into a small saucepan place, sugar, chocolate broken into squares and butter. Stir continuously  until melted and boil until syrupy, 2-3 minutes, it should coat the back of your spoon. Reserve to pour over profiteroles, just before serving. It needs to be poured over at the last minute, so that the chocolate is warm and shiny!

12. Remove profiteroles from oven once cooking time s up and place on cooling rack. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, 1-2 minutes, make a hole with a sharp knife carefully in the base for the steam to come out and to enable your piping nozzle to fit in.

13. When profiteroles are completely cold, using your piping bag fill with cream, pile into the shape of a pyramid on your serving dish. Decorate with cream and strawberries dipped in chocolate! Just before serving, drizzle with hot chocolate sauce, so that they are served still warm with extra sauce on the side.

 

N.B. It is important to work quickly and beat hard as soon as you have added your flour and your mixture must come away from the sides of the saucepan. It is also important to make a hole in the base of your profiteroles as soon as possible, once they are cooked to let the steam out.

You can make your profiteroles the day before and once completely cold reserve in an air tight tin. Pipe with cream the next day, but only pour your hot chocolate  sauce over the Profiteroles, just before serving!

 

 

 

This is what you are aiming for.

 

 

 

Gather your ingredients together.

 

Lightly beat eggs to break them up with a fork.

 

Sieve flour onto sheet of grease-proof paper.

 

By sieving the flour onto a sheet of paper, you can then add it much more easily to the boiling water and butter and thus lumps will not form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yummy!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wash strawberries, retain leaves and pat dry with kitchen paper.

 

Dip into the warm chocolate, about half way up your strawberry.

 

Allow chocolate to drip off and arrange around pyramid of profiteroles. Three is usually a good number, when arranging, it makes it more interesting than four…..

 

 

 

 

 

Final result, perfect for a Birthday surprise!