A GREAT dessert - the traditional cream puff or profiterole.
PROFITEROLES or cream puffs – either way, these delicious treats are a lot easier to make than you think. The difference between the names is simple – cream puffs are just that, a basic choux pastry filled with cream and usually topped with chocolate, and profiteroles can be filled with whatever filling you like from sweet to savoury. You don’t have to use sugar in the dough – and many don’t, but if you like it sweeter, I have added the right measurement in. It’s a necessity to slightly cut open the sides to make sure the inside is aerated and cooked through just before the end of cooking.
Ingredients 1 cup water 100g butter 150g flour 1 tbs sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 3 large eggs
Filling 1 cup cream, whipped
Topping Half a bar of plain dark chocolate and 20gms cream
Method Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place baking paper on two oven trays. Bring the butter and water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the flour all at once and beat until the mixture leaves the side of the pan as a heavy, smooth dough. Remove from the heat and add sugar if using, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Place small dessertspoons of mixture onto prepared oven trays. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and golden. You must slide a knife into the sides of each one to allow it to properly cook inside, about five minutes before you take them out of the oven. Pop them onto a rack and let them cool completely. To assemble, cut profiteroles in half. Mix the whipped cream, and fill the profiterole halves and sandwich them together. In a jug or bowl, melt the chocolate for a couple of minutes (or as required) in the microwave – or in a small pot if you don’t have one. Add the cream when done and mix well. Keeping the profiteroles on the rack, place in a baking dish lined with paper napkins or baking paper for easy cleanup, and drizzle the chocolate over the top. Best served immediately.
