Chocolate Profiteroles
Forget everything you think you know about pastry. Choux pastry couldn’t be less like a pastry if it tried; it’s quite unlike any other. Forget cold hands and rolling pins, forget folding and finesse; blind baking, shrinking and soggy bottoms: this is choux.
Although choux pastry contains much the same ingredients as other pastries, namely flour, butter, egg and water, the ratios are vastly different, there’s a lot more water in choux. You might expect a couple of tablespoons in a regular shortcrust, whereas choux has 5 or 6 times that, which is what creates the steam and makes them puff up like they do.
The method is equally as random: melt the butter in a pan of boiling water, chuck in the flour then beat in some eggs. You don’t even need to pipe it if you don’t want to, just blob it out with a spoon and whack it in a hot oven.
And now you’ve got options. Both profiteroles and éclairs are filled with whipped cream and topped with melted chocolate; both the chocolate and the cream can be flavoured in all manner of combinations. The cream can be replaced with custard, or ice cream, and the chocolate sauce topping can be swapped for caramel, coffee, cream and so on.
The buns will keep in an airtight container for a day, two at a push, but they also freeze well if protected from squashing in a solid plastic box.
Ingredients
(makes 12 snooker ball size buns)
For the choux pastry
70g plain flour, sifted.
55g salted butter, cut into small dice
150ml water
2 x medium eggs
For the cream
200ml double cream
2 x tablespoons caster sugar
For the chocolate sauce
175g dark chocolate
50g caster sugar
100ml water
Preheat the oven to 200 ⁰C
Add the butter to the water in a medium sized pan and heat until the butter has melted. Increase the heat until the water just starts to simmer, then tip in the flour all in one go.
Turn the heat off under the pan and beat in the flour until it forms a slippery mass that leaves the sides of the pan clean (have faith) – this shouldn’t take more than a minute or two at the most.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 7 or 8 minutes.
Beat the eggs together with a fork and add a little at a time to the pan (off the heat), beating well after each addition – aim for 5 or 6 additions (it’s quite a dissatisfying process adding the egg, it feels like you’re undoing your hard work but beat well after each addition and all will be well)
Reserve the last bit of egg and test the pastry for consistency; it needs to be a slow-to-drop consistency without being loose. Add the rest of the egg or not, as the case may be.
Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and place roughly rounded tablespoons of the pastry at well-spaced intervals. Use a wet finger tip to smooth over the tops.
Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven. Make a small slit or a hole in each bun to let the steam escape, then return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to dry out. Longer won’t hurt, just as long as they’re not taking on too much colour. (Once the choux buns have had their initial bake and rise, it’s safe to take them out – open one up to check the inside – very often a bun can look cooked on the outside but still have raw pastry inside.)
Allow the buns to cool completely before filling; leave for as long as possible before doing so as the cream will eventually cause them to become soggy.
Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form and the cream can hold its shape.
The easiest way to fill the buns is to slice them open like a clam and spoon the cream in before closing shut.
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl sat over a pan of simmering water. Melt the sugar with the water in a small pan to make a syrup. Remove the bowl once the chocolate has melted and pour in the syrup to make a smooth sauce.
Arrange the filled choux buns on a large serving plate and pour the chocolate sauce over.