profiteroles are must have in my kitchen and for my family..
Sweet Profiteroles are small, crisp, hollow rounds of Choux Pastry that are split in half and filled with sweet whipped cream, ice cream, or pastry cream. Cream puff is the American term for profiteroles. The difference between profiterole and éclairs is simply shape. Classically they are both filled with pastry cream and then drizzled with chocolate.. i prefer the classic way... No matter if you are making a profiterole or a cream puff, they both start with a baked puffed shell of choux pastry.
INGREDIENTS (choux pastry)
1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) (57 grams) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Chocolate Ganache:
4 ounces (115 gr)bitter chocolate (cut into small pieces)
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoons (14 grams) unsalted butter
Filling:
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
3 large egg yolks
1/8 cup (20 grams) all-purpose flour
scant 3 tbsp (20 grams) cornstarch
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
filling: (classic pastry cream)
In a medium-sized bawl, mix the sugar and egg yolks. (Do not let this mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over medium heat. (Watch carefully and remove from heat just as the milk starts to foam up.) Pour the milk slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
Place the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, continue to whisk constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes thick.
Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Let the cream cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.
choux pastry:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl sift together the flour,sugar and salt. Set aside.
Place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon or spatula, quickly add the flour mixture. Return to heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about a minute or two). Transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, and beat on low speed a minute or two to release the steam from the dough. Once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick sticky paste. Spoon or pipe 12 mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Beat together the egg and salt for the glaze. With a pastry brush, gently brush the glaze on the tops of the dough. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are dry inside. Turn the oven off and, with the oven door slightly ajar, let the shells dry out for a further 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.(cool before filling with cream)
Chocolate Ganache:
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth
To Assemble:
Split the pastry shells in half, fill the bottom halves of the shells with classic pastry cream or vanilla ice cream, and replace the top. Drizzle each profiterole liberally with warm chocolate ganache. Serve immediately.
ENJOY
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