Profiteroles With Vanilla Creme Chantilly And Hot Chocolate Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• With a rubber spatula, scoop the pate a choux into the pastry bag and pipe out approximately 16 (1 1/2-inch rounds) spaced 1 to 2 inches apart on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with the beaten egg and place in the oven. Cook until golden and puffed, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack.
• Split the profiteroles nearly in half, leaving a little hinge at the back, and cradle a small scoop of vanilla ice cream inside each. Divide the profiteroles between bowls and pour over some chocolate sauce. Serve cold.
• In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water, salt, sugar, and butter to a boil, making sure the butter is completely melted. Off the heat, add the flour all at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Return to the heat and continue beating until the dough forms a solid, smooth mass and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. Take off the heat and empty the dough into a clean mixing bowl. Little by little add the beaten eggs, beating vigorously in between each addition, until the dough forms a smooth, supple mass. Divide the dough into 2 even quantities, 1 part to be used for the profiteroles, the other for gougeres.

Steps:

• Combine the cream and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until bubbles appear around the sides of the pot, but do not allow the cream to boil. Mix in the chocolate and vanilla; remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate melts and the sauce is smooth. May be served warm or chilled.;
• Profiteroles: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• To make the pate a choux: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar, and salt to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring to melt the butter completely. Add all the flour and baking powder at once and continue to stir until all the flour is incorporated and the dough becomes a mass that pulls away from the sides of the pot. Remove from the heat and scrape the dough into a mixing bowl. Using a standing or hand-held mixer, beat the dough on medium speed to cool it off a bit. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically. When all eggs have been incorporated, the dough should be a thick, smooth, and glossy paste.
• Form 24 golf ball-size mounds on the lined baking sheet about 2-inches apart allowing room for them to spread; keep the mounds as high and round as possible. You can use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip or a large spoon, your choice. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. and continue to cook for 25 minutes. Do not open the oven door or remove the pans from the oven until the puffs are firm to the touch. The profiteroles should be golden brown and well-risen. Allow the shells to cool before filling.
• Using a serrated knife, slice the pastry puffs almost in 1/2. Place 3 profiteroles on each dessert plate and fill with a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the top; garnish with powdered sugar and fresh mint if desired.

Steps:

• For the profiteroles: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine 1 cup water, the butter, salt and sugar in a 4-quart pot and bring to a boil. Gradually add the flour while stirring constantly. Stir the mixture vigorously over low heat until it forms a loose dough. Be careful not to scorch the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat and stir briefly to dry out, returning to the heat for 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add 4 of the eggs one at a time and stir, waiting until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Test the dough to see if the texture is correct: the dough should be suspended in a thread between two fingers when pinched and separated. (If this doesn't happen, add another egg.)
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a straight pastry tip. Pipe out quarter-size rounds onto the baking sheet, spaced about 1-inch apart. Wet your fingertips with water and press down the tips of the rounds to flatten them. Make an egg wash by beating the remaining egg with a fork in a small bowl. Gently brush the egg wash over the tops of the dough rounds. Bake until the dough has puffed up and the tops are nicely browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Lower the heat to 300 degrees F and let sit in the oven for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. A well-cooked profiterole should be hollow on the inside and still a little soft inside. Let cool completely. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks in a large bowl. Fit a second pastry bag with a straight or star tip and fill with the whipped cream. Cut the profiteroles in half horizontally and fill with the whipped cream. Top with the lid. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• For the chocolate sauce: Heat the cream in a pot until just scalded. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate. Tap the bowl to allow the cream to settle. Wait 2 minutes, and then stir vigorously with a whisk until smooth and emulsified. Set aside to cool or until ready to serve. Serve about 1/2 cup of the sauce with the profiteroles.

Steps:

• For the profiteroles: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, the butter and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the flour all at once and stir it vigorously with a wooden spoon. Cook until the mixture has formed a ball with a slightly sweaty sheen to it, and has pulled away from the pan. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes; the mixture does not have to be cold, just cool enough not to cook the eggs when added. Using an electric mixer, or lots of good old-fashioned elbow grease, beat in the eggs one at a time; do not add the second egg until the first is fully incorporated. Add in the cinnamon and beat for another second to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag equipped with a large straight tip, and pipe 1-inch balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure to leave at least 1 inch between each of the balls¿they grow! When done, dip your finger in water and smooth the top of each ball where the pastry bag released the dough. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through to ensure even cooking. When done, the puffs should be light, airy and dry inside. Cool on a rack.
• For the chocolate sauce: Fill a saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Put the chocolate in a metal or heatproof glass mixing bowl and place on top of the saucepan with the boiling water. Pay careful attention that the mixing bowl does not touch the surface of the boiling water. Add the cream, butter, corn syrup and cinnamon and stir until the chocolate has melted and everything is combined. This is a pretty quick process. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the double boiler set-up.
• When ready to serve, cut the profiteroles in half horizontally and fill them with ice cream. Top with warm chocolate sauce.

Steps:

• Put 150ml water, the butter and a pinch of salt into a medium pan and gently heat until the butter melts. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. As soon as it's boiling, tip in the flour in one go. Beat quickly to combine. TIP: It's important to tip the flour in as soon as the water boils, because losing too much liquid by evaporation will affect your pastry.
• The starch in the flour needs to be cooked out now. Beat well, over the heat, until the mix turns smooth and glossy and starts to come away from the edge of the pan. Tip the mix into a bowl and allow to cool a little.
• Give the mixture a quick beat, then start adding the eggs a little at a time, using a whisk, wooden spoon or electric beaters. You may not need to add all the egg - stop once the pastry is smooth and elastic and drops easily off a spoon.
• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Drop a medium nozzle into a large piping bag and scoop the pastry into it. Line two baking sheets with non-stick paper and pipe 15 x 10p-size balls of pastry onto each one. Use a wetted finger to smooth the tops. Bake for 15-20 mins until dark golden and very firm. Transfer to a rack, turn each one upside down, then leave to cool. Will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. TIP: The just-piped pastry buns have pointy tops, which can quickly burn. Tap them down gently with a wet finger before you put them in to bake.
• For the sauce, heat the sugar in a large, non-stick frying pan. Melt it gently, swirling every now and again until dissolved. Turn up the heat a little, then bubble until you have a dark golden caramel, about 5 minutes in total. Keep the pan on the heat and carefully stir in the cream to make a silky sauce. Add the Cognac and stir again. Pour into a serving jug. Can be made up to 2 days ahead - warm in the microwave for a few secs and stir to loosen.
• If making your own ice cream, place the milk and double cream in a pan. Take 1 tbsp of the sugar and add to the pan, too. Whisk the remaining sugar with the egg yolks and the seeds of the vanilla pods. Heat the milk until just boiling, then pour it onto the egg mix, whisking constantly. Tip back into the pan and heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour through a sieve and allow to cool. Now churn the mix in an ice-cream machine, or freeze it in a shallow container, beating thoroughly at least three times, until it is frozen and smooth. Will keep frozen for up to 1 month. Makes about 500 ml, 5 mins prep, 20 mins cooking and freezing.
• Allow the ice cream to soften slightly in the fridge for 30 mins. Scoop into a piping bag then, holding the bag with a tea towel, poke the nozzle into the bottom of one of the buns. Pipe in the ice cream until completely filled (see tips). Work as quickly as you can - you need to get the profiteroles back in the freezer before the ice cream starts to melt. Will keep well-wrapped in the freezer for up to 1 week. NOTE: Wrapping a tea towel around the piping bag insulates the ice cream from the warmth of your hands. If piping in the ice cream seems too fiddly, simply cut the buns open with a serrated knife and fill with teaspoon-size scoops of ice cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl for the egg wash. Set aside.
• Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer Pate a Choux to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. Pipe dough into 2-inch rounds about 1 inch apart. Gently smooth the pointed peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Brush tops with reserved egg wash. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. The profiteroles should feel light and airy. Remove puffs from oven and transfer sheets to wire racks to cool completely.
• Make the chocolate sauce: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water to melt gently, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Put the milk, cream, and superfine sugar into a pan and bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Take off the heat. Still whisking, pour on the melted chocolate, then return to the heat. Still whisking, let the sauce bubble briefly over medium heat. Turn off the heat and whisk in the pieces of butter, one at a time. Pass the sauce through a fine chinois into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and keep warm in a bain-marie.
• Using a serrated knife, slice off the top third of each puff; set aside. Place a scoop of ice cream on the bottom of each puff; replace tops. Dust with confectioners' sugar and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. If using hazelnuts, place on a baking sheet and roast until quite dark, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then use a clean kitchen towel to rub off skins, discarding the skins. Crush nuts coarsely with a rolling pin or meat mallet and set aside.
• To make the puffs, put 1 cup/240 milliliters water, the butter and the salt in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together and forms a sticky ball. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring, for a minute or 2 more.
• Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix at medium speed to cool dough slightly, then increase speed and begin to add 4 eggs, 1 at a time. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated into dough before adding the next. When all eggs have been added, scrape down sides of bowl and beat again until dough is smooth and glossy.
• Line a pair of 12-by-18-inch baking sheets with parchment. Put dough in a pastry bag (or use two soup spoons) and form mounds that are 21/2 inches in diameter, 12 mounds per sheet, spaced evenly. Brush each mound with beaten egg, smoothing pointy tops with a finger. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue baking until puffs are well browned and crisp, about 25 minutes more. Cool to room temperature. (If desired, puffs may be baked in advance, frozen and recrisped at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.)
• Put cream and sugar in a small mixing bowl and whip to a soft, light consistency.
• To assemble profiteroles, cut puffs in half horizontally. Place 2 tablespoons softly whipped cream on the bottom half of each puff, then a scoop of ice cream. Replace the tops. Transfer filled profiteroles to dessert plates or bowls, 2 per serving. Drizzle with warm chocolate sauce and sprinkle with reserved crushed hazelnuts, if using. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.