Profiteroles

Directions

To make the Choux Pastry

1. Pour the water into a small saucepan. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the water. Place over a low heat and allow the butter to melt, without allowing the water to simmer.
2. Meanwhile, sift the flour onto a piece of baking paper. Fold the paper in half and fold one side up so that the flour will not fall out.
3. Once the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium high. Keep the flour and a wooden spoon close by. Watch the water carefully and wait for it to boil and rise up the sides (Rolling Boil). Pour the flour quickly into the centre, turn off the heat and beat the flour vigorously. Continue to beat the mixture until there are no lumps and the mixture is uniform in colour.
4. Spread the mixture over a cool plate to allow the temperature to drop to room temperature.
5. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly with a fork.
6. Return the mixture to the pan. Add 1tbsp of beaten egg, off the heat, and beat it in with a wooden spoon. Once the egg is fully incorporated, add a little more and beat again. Check the consistency of the pastry. It should be smooth, shiny and slowly drop off of a spoon when held on its side.

For Profiteroles

1. Preheat the oven to 200ᵒC. Very lightly oil a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
2. Fill a piping bag with choux pastry and cut the end to about 1.5cms wide.
3. Pipe the choux into about 1 inch sized circles 3cm apart. Use a dampened finger to smooth out any spikes.
4. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until well risen and golden. Be careful not to open the oven before 20 minutes as the pastry will sink.
5. Remove from the oven and peel off the baking paper – if they don’t easily peel off them place them back in the oven for 5 minutes. Once cooked, transfer to a wire rack to cool.
6. Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water to melt, stirring occasionally.
7. Put the cream and icing sugar into a large bowl. Whisk to a pipeable consistency and place into a piping bag with a small nozzle.
8. When the chocolate has melted, set aside to cool a little.
9. When the profiteroles are completely cool, use a skewer to make an incision hollow out the inside. Hold each profiterole and pipe the cream into the hole. The profiteroles will feel heavy when it is full.
10. Check that the chocolate has thickened a little. Hold the filled profiteroles upside down and dip into the chocolate. Slowly turn them over and put on a wire rack to allow the chocolate to set up.