Profiteroles

Name: Profiteroles
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 24 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian Menu
Ingredients: Unsalted Butter — 100g; Water — 250ml; Plain Flour — 150g; Eggs — 4; Full-fat Cream — 250ml; Caster Sugar — 40g; Vanilla Pod — 1; Dark Chocolate — 200g; Full-fat Cream — 175ml

A beloved staple across Italian dessert menus, these delicate choux pastry spheres are baked until golden and crisp, then filled to bursting with chilled Chantilly cream or velvety vanilla gelato. Generously smothered in a glossy, warm dark chocolate ganache, each luxurious bite offers a heavenly contrast of airy pastry, cool silky cream, and deep, bittersweet cocoa richness that simply melts in the mouth.

Cuisines

Cooking Instructions

Preparation: 45 minutes
Cooking: 24 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Notes:

Vanilla extract can be used as a substitute for fresh vanilla pods.

The baked choux pastry shells can be frozen without filling for up to three months.

Profiteroles can be assembled and kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Make the Choux Pastry
Melt butter in a saucepan with water over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Sift in flour, mixing with a wooden spoon until a smooth, non-stick pastry forms, then cool for 10 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is thick and smooth.

Bake the Profiteroles
Pipe two-tablespoon mounds onto a parchment-lined tray, dab the peaks with a wet finger, and bake at 200°C for 17 minutes. Pierce the bottom of each to release steam, then bake at 160°C for a further 7 minutes until dry and golden, then cool completely.

Prepare Ganache and Cream
Simmer dark chocolate and full-fat cream in a saucepan until melted and smooth, then set aside. Whip cream with caster sugar and scraped vanilla seeds to stiff peaks to create the Chantilly cream.

Fill and Glaze
Pipe the Chantilly cream into the base of each cooled pastry shell until filled. Arrange the filled profiteroles on a wire rack and spoon or dip with the chocolate ganache before serving.