Scarlett WProfiteroles with Hot Chocolate Sauce
February 21st 2008 08:25
Profiteroles with Hot Chocolate Sauce
About Profiteroles
A profiterole / cream puff (U.S.) is a food made from a small, round baked choux pastry (choux bun) filled with a sweet filling. The word (also spelled prophitrole, profitrolle, profiterole) has existed in English since the 16th century. The original meaning in both English and French is unclear, but later it came to mean a kind of roll ‘baked under the ashes’. A 17th-century French recipe for a Potage de profiteolles or profiteroles describes a soup of dried small breads (presumably the profiteroles) simmered in almond broth and garnished with cockscombs, truffles, and so on.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 6 – 8 / Makes about 30
For the profiteroles
65 gm / 2½ oz strong plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon golden caster sugar
50 gm / 2 oz butter, cut into small pieces
2 large eggs, well beaten
For the fillings
275 ml / 10 fl oz double cream, whipped until thick
For the hot chocolate sauce
175 gm / 6 oz dark chocolate with 70-75% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
1. Lightly greased a 28 X 35 cm / 11 X 14 inch solid baking sheet.
2. Preheat the oven to 200ºC / 400ºF.
3. For the pastry, place the water and the butter in a medium, heavy-based saucepan, then place the saucepan over a moderate heat and stir with a wooden spoon.
4. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture comes up to the boil, turn off the heat immediately, as too much boiling will evaporate some of the water.
5. Then tip in the flour – all in one go – with one hand, while you beat the mixture vigorously with the other. You can do this with a wooden spoon, although an electric hand whisk will save you lots of energy. Beat until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean – this will probably take less than a minute.
6. Then beat in the beaten eggs – a little at a time, mixing in each addition thoroughly before adding the next – until you have a smooth, glossy paste.
7. Hold the greased baking sheet under cold running water for a few seconds, and tap it sharply to get rid of excess moisture. This will help create a steamier atmosphere, which in turn helps the pastry to rise.
8. To make the profiteroles, place teaspoonfuls of choux paste on the baking sheet, leaving 2.5-cm / 1-inch between them, and bake on a high shelf for 10 minutes.
9. Increase the heat to 220ºC / 425ºF and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the buns are crisp, light and a rich golden colour.
10. Pierce the side of each one to let out the steam, then return them to the oven for a couple of minutes to crisp up, then cool them on a wire rack.
11. To make the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolate, together with 120 ml / 4 fl oz water, in a heatproof basin fitted over a saucepan of simmering water (being careful that the base of the bowl does not touch the water), stirring until you have a smooth sauce.
12. Just before serving, split the choux buns in half, fill each one with a generous teaspoonful of whipped cream, then join the halves together again. Spoon or pour the melted chocolate over the profiteroles.
13. Serve immediately.
Tips:
Don’t be tempted to put the cream in the profiteroles too far in advance because this tends to make them soggy.
**From “The Delia Collection Chocolate” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” **
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