Profiteroles?

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Carol" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> Carol earlier:  
> > > > What on earth are profiteroles?
> 
> Geoff:
> Oh, they're delicious and very more-ish. If you've not had one, you
> haven't lived.
> 
> Dictionary definition:
> "a small ball of choux pastry, filled with cream and covered with
> chocolate sauce". They're usually about one and a half inches diameter
> and my description would be rather like a mini chocolate eclair.....
> 
> My chocoholic self is stirring the thought. Mmmm.
> :-)
> 
> doddiemoemoe:
> 
> > Basically cream puffs....
> > 
> > In 'American terms'...a cream filled vanity cake that is often 
> > drizzled with choco or caramel sauce OR...a cream filled vanity cake 
> > that can be "dipped" into choco or Caramel sauce..
> >
> Carol responds:
> 
> Ah! Cream puffs. I haven't had one, or even a real eclair, for a long
> time, the closest being a Bavarian-cream-filled, chocolate-frosted
> Dunkin' Donut.
> 
> But "vanity cake"? "Choux pastry"? I've never heard either term
> before. (Quite obviously, I haven't lived all these years. Like Harry
> and Voldemort, I've only been surviving. ;-) )
> 
> Carol, who's not a chocoholic but nevertheless had a craving for 
> Milky Ways the other day and bought a whole bag of the miniature 

> ones, which is now almost gone

Geoff:
'Vanity cake' has lost me too but the following might be of interest, 
cribbed from the BBC cookery section (www.bbc.co.uk):
.......
Choux pastry

A very light, double-cooked pastry usually used for sweets and 
buns. It's made with plain flour, salt, butter, eggs, milk and a little 
sugar (if it's being used for a sweet dish). It's used to make profiteroles, 
eclairs and choux puffs and is the basis of the dramatic dessert gâteau 
St Honoré - a shortcrust pastry base topped with a ring of choux pastry, 
then a layer of choux balls filled with whipped cream and glazed with 
caramel - definite wow factor!
........
Chocolate profiteroles
Ingredients
For the choux pastry:
200ml/7fl oz cold water
½ tsp caster sugar
85g/3oz unsalted butter
pinch salt
115g/4oz plain flour
4 medium eggs, beaten

For the cream filling:
600ml/1pint double cream
1 tbsp/15g icing sugar

For the chocolate sauce:
15g/½oz butter
4tbsp/60ml water
175g/6oz good quality plain chocolate, broken into pieces

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. To make the pastry, place the butter, water and sugar into a 
large saucepan. 
3. Place over a low heat to melt the butter. Increase the heat 
and shoot in the flour and salt all in one go.
4. Remove from the heat and quickly beat the mixture vigorously 
until a smooth paste is formed, stirring continuously to dry out 
the paste.
5. Once the paste curls away from the side of the pan, transfer 
the mixture into a large bowl and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.
6. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, stirring vigorously until the 
paste is smooth and glossy.
7. Continue adding the egg until you have a soft dropping 
consistency. It may not be necessary to add all the egg. The 
mixture will be shiny and smooth and will fall reluctantly from a 
spoon if it is given a sharp jerk.
8. Lightly oil a large baking tray. Dip a teaspoon into some warm 
water and spoon out a teaspoon of the profiterole mixture. Rub 
the top of the mixture with a wet finger and spoon on to the baking 
tray. This ensures a crisper topping.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown, if too pale they will 
become soggy when cool.
10. Remove from the oven and prick the base of each profiterole. 
Place onto the baking tray with the hole facing upwards and return 
to the oven for 5 minutes. The warm air from the oven helps to dry 
the middle of the profiteroles.
11. Prepare the filling: lightly whip the cream and icing sugar until 
soft peaks form. Do not overwhip. When the profiteroles are cold, 
using a piping bag with a plain nozzle, pipe the cream into the holes 
of the profiteroles. If a piping bag is not available cut the profiteroles 
in half and spoon in the cream with a teaspoon. 
12. Prepare the chocolate sauce: melt the chocolate with the water 
and butter over a pan of boiling water. Stir without boiling until 
smooth and shiny.
13. Arrange the buns on a serving dish and pour over the hot sauce. 
Eat hot or cold.

Have fun.