Choux à la Crème, Profiteroles or Cream Puffs

What do you call them? Regardless they are a delicate French pastries made from choux dough, which puffs up when baked, creating a light and airy texture. Typically filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, or ice cream, and topped with a rich chocolate glaze, they offer a perfect balance of crunch and sweetness. Whether served as a dessert or a festive treat, profiteroles are a timeless indulgence that never fails to delight.

Ingredients
Choux Dough
250 g Water
100 g unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt
150 g plain flour
4 eggs at room temperature

Chantilly Cream
250ml whipping cream
75g Mascarpone
60g Powdered sugar
Vanilla bean paste/ extract

Chocolate Ganache
250g dark chocolate
250g whipping cream

Method
Ensure your eggs are at room temperature ready to be mixed into the flour mixture.

Combine water, butter and salt and bring to a light simmer. Stir the mixture to ensure the butter has fully melted. Either add the flour 2 tbsp at a time and fluctuate the heat to ensure the mixture stays warm or add all the flour and mix until combined.

Once fully combined break up the dough and set to the side to cool for 10 minutes. You can take this time to crack your eggs into ramekins to add them with ease.

After the dough has cooled for 10 minutes stir the dough a few stirs to break it up. Add one egg and stir the mixture until the egg is fully combined and the dough sticks to the wall of the saucepan. Then follow the previous step until the remaining 3 eggs have been incorporated.

Scoop the glossy mixture into a piping bag and if you do not have a piping bag you can use two teaspoons to scoop a small mound onto a baking sheet.

Using a little water on your fingertip to smooth out the top where you lifted off, this will ensure the puff is nicely shaped.

Place in the middle rack on 200°c (fan forced) for 15 minutes.

If you find one side of the baking tray of profiteroles are browning more than the other you can turn the trays around. Note this should be done after the 8 minute mark to ensure you don’t disturb the rising process.

Once you have reached the 15 minute mark you can reduce the oven temperature to 170°c (fan forced) and remove the profiteroles from the oven and carefully pierce a small hole in the bottom or the side of the pastry. This will allow the profiteroles to continue to dry out.

Return the profiteroles to the oven for a further 10 minutes. Then remove and cool.

Time to combine the cream, mascarpone, vanilla and powdered sugar. With an electric mixer on slow combine the ingredients and when the powdered sugar is mostly incorporated turn your mixer up to high until the mixture has stiffened. Note not to whip too much or the mixture will split.

Decant the Chantilly cream into a piping bag with a narrow pastry tip then insert the tip into the puff and slowly fill the profiterole with the cream.

Place the filled roll in the fridge to lee the cream cool and this will also assist with the ganache adhering to the pastry.

While the puffs are chilling time to create the chocolate ganache.

Heat your cream either in a microwave however I like to use a small saucepan. While the cream is warming roughly chop the chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl. Pour the warmed milk over the chocolate and let sit for 10 minutes.

Now mix the cream and the chocolate until smooth and glossy.

How dip 1/2 to 2/3 the way down the profiterole and set down on a place to set.

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