Grace’s delicious profiteroles are her signature dessert dish and she has kindly shared her recipe with us. The delicate choux pastry shells are filled with a smooth custard and drizzled with chocolate sauce. These delightful little morsels are perfect for celebrations, afternoon tea or dessert. Careful attention to measuring the ingredients and patience will reward you with a feather light puff that everyone will enjoy.  Thank you Grace.

Grace’s Profiteroles

Ingredients:

Profiteroles

• 250ml water
• 75 g butter
• 150 g plain flour, triple sifted
• pinch of salt
• 4 x 50 g eggs

Crème Patissière Filling

• 500ml milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 100 g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 g plain flour, sifted
• pinch of salt

Chocolate Sauce:

• 125 g good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 Tblsp unsalted butter
• 1-2 Tblsp whole milk

Method:

Profiteroles

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC  with a conventional rather than fan forced setting.
2. Line an oven tray with baking paper
3. Triple sift the flour to ensure a light, lump free mix
4. Pour the water into the into a saucepan, dissolve the salt fully then add the chopped butter
5. Set over a low heat
6. When the butter is melted, and the salt fully dissolved, bring the mixture to the boil
7. Then add the sifted flour all at once, stirring with a wooden spoon, to ensure that all the moisture of the butter and water mix is absorbed
8. Remove from the heat and stir vigorously until the mixture forms a ball that leaves the side of the saucepan
9. Return to heat and stir to allow any moisture to evaporate that may remain. Mix until the spoon stands upright in the mixture
10. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes
11. When the dough mixture is cooled a little, add one lightly beaten egg, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The quantity of egg needed will vary according to their size, the flour and room temperature so add only a little at a time to avoid ending up with a runny mixture.  The important thing is to only add enough beaten egg  needed to make the mixture easy to handle. Stir until the eggs are well incorporated and the resulting dough mixture is stiff enough for the puffs to hold their shape when spooned or piped and the mixture is thick, smooth and glossy
12. Use two dessert spoons to drop heaped spoonfuls of the mixture onto the lined baking tray ensuring to space them well to allow for rising
13. Brush the top of each spoonful with an egg wash, gently pressing them to flatten just a little to remove any points that may burn when baking
14. Bake at 200ºC  for 10 minutes then lower the heat to 180ºC and cook further  until the profiteroles are puffed and golden brown all over and firm to the touch. This should take anywhere from 25-35 minutes depending on your individual oven
15. Do not open the oven till the puffs are browned
16. Then pierce each puff  on the side with a skewer to allow any steam built up inside to escape and ensure a crisp profiterole. Place with the skewer hole upwards Cook for a further 5-8 minutes
17. When well coloured and crisp, the profiteroles should be easy to remove from the baking tray to a cooling rack
18. Allow the profiteroles to cool completely before filling with  creme patissière

Creme Patissière:

1. in a saucepan place the milk, the vanilla bean or vanilla extract and the pinch of salt and bring to the boil and then set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolks together with a wooden spoon until light and thickened slightly.
3. Stir in the sifted flour mixing well
4. Pour the milk into the egg mixture a little at a time, stirring until well incorporated and  smooth.
5. Pour the mixture into a clean saucepan over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly until the custard thickens
6. Allow to boil for an extra minute to cook the flour
7. When fully cooked the creme patissière should be thick and smooth
8. Cool the creme patissière in the saucepan by placing the saucepan in cold water and stirring the creme until it is cooled a little
9. Then remove the creme patissière  to a clean bowl and cover it with cling wrap, pressing it down well over the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming
10. The creme patissière should be cold before filling the profiteroles using a piping bag

Flavouring the Creme Patissière:

You can choose to add a number of other flavourings to the creme patissière if you wish:

1. For chocolate creme add 2 teaspoons of dark powdered cocoa into the milk when bringing it to the boil and whisk it till it is dissolved and continue as above
2. Add a small amount of  lemon or orange juice and finely grated zest at the end of cooking when the creme is cooled
3. Add your favourite liqueur, for example a teaspoon of any orange liqueur like Cointreau or Grand Marnier, again at the end of cooking when then creme is cooled
4. For coffee flavour add some drops of coffee flavoured extract to the milk as it is heating and continue as above

Chocolate sauce for the topping:

1. In a double boiler melt the butter and chocolate pieces
2. Stir in enough milk to make a smooth mixture
3. Drizzle over the profiteroles after they have been filled with the custard

Filling the Profiteroles:

1. When ready to serve the profiteroles, pierce the underside of the puff and use a piping bag to fill them with the creme patissière
2. Turn them over and drizzle over with the chocolate sauce
3. Dust with icing sugar and serve

Storing the Profiteroles:

• The profiterole shells can be frozen for 3 – 4 weeks. When needed, thaw the shells in the fridge on a wire rack for 3 hours and then bake uncovered at 150ºC  for 2- 5 minutes or until crisp Then allow to cool fully before filling.
• Store filled profiteroles in an airtight container for up to 2 days in the refrigerator