Profiteroles

Ingredients

• For the choux pastry:
• 250ml water
• 15g caster sugar
• 125g unsalted butter
• 150g strong plain flour
• 4 eggs
• a pinch of salt
• 100g dark chocolate
• 50g sugar
• 200ml double cream

Preparation Time: 35 minutes + 30 minutes finishing
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 5

Method

1. Put the water, butter, sugar and salt into a pan over a medium heat and stir them until the butter has melted.
2. Add the flour, stir it in and then beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a paste without any lumps in it.
3. Tip the mixture onto a cold plate or dish and spread it out to allow it to cool to room temperature.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°c.
5. When the mixture is cooled, put it into a bowl (or back into the pan to save on washing up) and add the eggs.
6. Thoroughly beat the eggs into the mixture to complete the choux pastry.
7. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or (preferably) a sheet of silicon, scoop the choux pastry into a piping bag and pipe out small dollops of it, about 3cm wide and spaced about 5cm apart. (Alternatively, you can use a teaspoon although it is not as neat.)
8. Fill a small bowl with water, dip your finger into the water and smooth down the peak of each dollop, re-dipping your finger for each one (the water helps to stop the choux pastry sticking to your finger).
9. Put the tray into the oven and cook them for 30 minutes.
10. Remove the tray from the oven, allow the choux buns to cool for 2 - 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. When the buns are completely cold, cut a small hole in the base of each one using a sharp knife.
12. Put the double cream and the sugar into a large bowl and whisk it until it has become stiff and will hold its shape. Spoon this into another piping bag.
13. Put the nozzle of the piping bag into the hole in the base of each choux bun and fill the hollow inside with the cream.
14. When all of the choux buns have been filled with cream, melt the chocolate in a bain marie and dip the top half of each bun into the chocolate. Put them on the wire rack to allow the chocolate to cool and set.
15. Serve. They can optionally be served with a jug of extra melted chocolate to pour over them.

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Useful Information

Can it be frozen? Yes at stage 11.
Can it be prepared in advance? Yes, they can be finished up to 6 hours in advance.
Will leftovers be nice? No.

Notes