Recipe inspired by Preppy Kitchen
A literal eruption of flavours, this bite-sized pastry is the fear of many a chef. With this recipe in hand, it doesn’t have to be yours!
The profiterole’s origins can be traced back to seventeenth-century France. Originally served as savoury appetisers, they have evolved into sweet delicacies packed with creamy goodness. Today, profiteroles are typically filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, or ice cream, and are then drizzled with chocolate sauce or dusted with powdered sugar.
Profiteroles are made from choux pastry dough, which is itself first baked into small, hollow rounds. Similarly to other French pastries like croissants, choux pastry is often perceived as challenging. However, the key is to understand your dough. Unlike most other recipes, you cannot rely on precise measurements for this one. Instead, one must learn how to identify the desired consistency of the dough before baking. One of the most crucial steps at this stage is the incorporation of eggs, as the exact number of eggs needed can vary from batch to batch. Factors like humidity, egg size, or even a slight difference in flour measurement cause inconsistencies. Starting with two beaten eggs is a good rule of thumb, but only add as much as is necessary to achieve a shiny, thick, and smooth dough with a texture suitable for piping. Benjaminthebaker has a great video that shows the exact consistency required for a perfectly light and airy choux.
Another crucial point is the temperature of your oven; too hot and your choux will deflate, not hot enough and they will not rise. Use an oven thermometer if you feel your oven is old and temperatures might fluctuate.
I filled my choux with an ambassador cream, a rich French pastry cream. It is similar to classic pastry cream, but contains whipped cream, making for a lighter texture. Profiteroles can also be filled with just whipped cream or even ice cream, and then drizzled with chocolate sauce or dusted with powdered sugar. Once you've mastered this simple choux recipe, you can tweak it as per your liking! Whether you are piping logs and filling them with pastry cream for eclairs, or mixing them with cheese and herbs for savoury gougères, the possibilities are endless.
Ingredients:
For the Ambassador Cream Filling:
240 ml whole milk
½ vanilla bean/1 tbsp vanilla bean paste/1 tbsp vanilla essence
3 egg yolks
80g sugar
15g cornstarch
½ tbsp cold unsalted butter
½ cup whipping cream
For the Pastry:
120 ml water
56.5g unsalted butter
¼ tsp salt
¾ tsp sugar
64g all-purpose flour
2 whole eggs, plus 1 extra if needed (I used 2½)
For the Chocolate Glaze:
57g semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Method
For the Filling:
Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the vanilla bean (if using). Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
Once boiling, turn off the heat and set the pan aside.
In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale in colour and fluffy.
Sift in the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain.
Whisk in ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture until it is well incorporated. This is done to temper the mixture so that the eggs do not curdle.
Slowly stream in the remaining hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Take care to ensure you do not add too much at once and that you scrape the bottom of the bowl while whisking.
Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any lumps.
Cook your mixture over medium-high heat, while whisking constantly, until it is thickened and slowly boiling. Once it comes to a boil, set a timer for one minute and continue to cook it while whisking. This ensures the eggs are cooked thoroughly.
To identify if the mixture is cooked, dip a spoon into the custard, then run your finger over the back of it. If it leaves a clean line in the curd, it is cooked enough and ready to cool.
Once cooked, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter.
Pour the custard into a wide tin/baking tray. Immediately cover it with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Transfer the pan to a refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or until cool to the touch.
Once the custard has cooled, add your whipping cream to a separate large bowl and whip it until stiff peaks have formed.
If you feel the custard isn't sweet enough to your liking, you can add 3-4 tablespoons of icing sugar to the whipping cream while whipping it along with 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla essence.
Add the cooled custard to the whipped cream and fold it through the cream using a spatula.
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and store it in an airtight container under refrigeration until you are ready to serve the dessert.
For the Pastry:
Preheat your oven to 220 C.
In a large saucepan, add the water, butter, salt, and sugar and set over medium-high heat. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
As soon as the mixture boils, take the pan off the heat.
Add all the flour at once to the saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour is incorporated (30 to 60 seconds).
Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring constantly.
Cook the mixture until you see a thin film form on the bottom of the pan. This shows that the mixture has sufficiently dried out.
Scrape the mixture into a large glass bowl and allow it to cool for 2 minutes.
In a separate bowl, crack 2 eggs and break them up using a fork. Do not whisk them or incorporate any air, just mix them enough to allow the yolks and whites to form a homogenous mixture.
Add the small quantities of the beaten egg to the dough using a wooden spoon or spatula to combine. Do not mix vigorously, slowly fold the mixture together until the egg is well incorporated.
The dough should not be too tough or liquidy. It should fall off your spatula slowly and steadily. If your mixture is still tough after the addition of the two eggs, crack another egg into a separate bowl, break it and add it in small quantities. Do not add all of the egg at once, else you risk the dough becoming too loose and your baked choux buns being flat and deflated.
The correct egg ratios differ with each person depending on the size of the egg, the dryness of the dough, etc. Therefore, it is important to understand how to identify that you have added enough egg. Watch this video to learn how to identify when your dough is ready to be piped.
Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe fat dots onto a baking tray lined with parchment.
Bake the choux for 15 minutes at 220C and then reduce the heat to 190C and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until it is light golden brown in colour. Try not to open the oven door during the baking process.
Once baked, carefully pick up the choux buns and poke small holes into them using a toothpick. This ensures that the hot air does not get trapped inside the buns and create a buildup of moisture. Set aside on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled, place the choux buns in an airtight container and store at room temperature if not using immediately.
For the Glaze:
Chop your chocolate and add it to a bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until it boils.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth.
Set aside the mixture and keep it warm.
The glaze can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate it until ready to use, and rewarm in a microwave or over hot water when ready.
Assembly:
Make a small incision using a sharp knife at the bottom of your choux buns.
Using the previously filled and chilled pastry bag filled with the ambassador cream, gently pipe the custard into the choux buns.
As you fill the choux, you will feel it growing heavier in weight. Fill it until you can see the cream oozing out of the incision. Ensure that you do not overfill the buns, else you risk the bun exploding.
Once filled, dip the tops of the choux into the chocolate glaze.
Place the filled buns in an airtight container and chill until the glaze has set (30-45 mins).
Serve chilled.
Storage Instructions:
Profiteroles are most enjoyable when served within a few hours of assembly.
However, they still remain delicious if eaten the next day. Ensure that you refrigerate them in an airtight container to preserve their freshness. Beyond one day, the cream gets absorbed into the pastry and the profiteroles will become soggy.
You can make each of the components in advance and assemble them 1-2 hours before serving. Ensure you store each of the components correctly.