Profiteroles, vanilla ice-cream, chocolate sauce
Blame it on the weather. I wanted steamed pudding. The weather said no. And it’s pretty hard to argue with sunshine and warm breezes. So ice-cream it is.
We used to serve profiteroles with ice-cream at a bistro I worked in many years ago. At the time, they were presented as three dainty choux buns, stuffed with a rotating list of flavoured ice-creams (hazelnut was my absolute favourite), drizzled with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with chopped nuts. Prior to that, my only exposure to profiteroles were the frozen ones filled with Grand Marnier custard that mom would buy by the boxful. You were meant to defrost them before eating, but I liked them straight from the freezer despite the threat of brain-freeze.
We had these profiteroles with vanilla ice-cream (a lactose-free version) and plenty of chocolate sauce for dessert last night and I’ve subsequently discovered two things. 1. As a dessert item, these are damn good. No wonder they were so popular at the bistro. 2. What’s even better is, after the very last bite is gone, the remaining puddle of melted ice-cream and chocolate sauce co-mingle to form a few bonus spoonfuls of instant chocolate ice-cream!
So I think we’ll be having more frequent profiterole-themed desserts from now on, and it’s also tempting to have another wack at eclairs which I haven’t made since the Daring Bakers challenge from eons ago.
(PS: I’m heading to Hobart to work for a couple of weeks. It’s only been a few months since my last trip and having covered a few of the usual suspects including the tourist trifecta of Salamanca markets, Pigeonhole Cafe and the MONA gallery (all brilliant and highly recommended), I’m keen to explore and discover other new things. Any suggestions most welcome!)
Profiteroles :
(adapted from Beyond Nose to Tail by Fergus Henderson & Justin Piers Gellatly)
For the choux pastry :
(makes 12)
125g water
50g butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
70g plain flour
2 eggs
Preheat the oven to 200’C. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
In a medium pot, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and add the flour all at once. Using a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, beat the mixture rigorously. It will start to come away from the sides of the pot. Cook for about a minute then remove the pot from the heat. Allow the mixture to cool a little then beat in the eggs one by one, making sure they are fully incorporated. Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the trays, about 1 1/2 inches apart. (You can pipe the dough but I like mine more freeform). Bake for 20 minutes then turn the oven down to 140’C and bake for a further 15-20 minutes. The profiteroles should have a crisp outer shell and a dry interior. When they are ready, cool them on a wire rack, then split them in half, fill with scoops of vanilla ice-cream (I used this one) and serve with a generous amount of chocolate sauce.
For the chocolate sauce :
250g 70% dark chocolate buttons
350g water, just boiled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pour the water over the chocolate and sugar. Whisk well or blitz with a stick blender/immersion blender to get rid of any lumps. Stir in the vanilla extract and use immediately and keep covered and reheat it when you need it.
Tags: choux pastry, dairy-free chocolate sauce, ice-cream, vanilla
leaf (the indolent cook) said,
September 7, 2012 @ 3:37 pm
Profiteroles are such a treat. I don’t think I see them on restaurant menus often, but I find it hard to resist the temptation whenever I see them in the shops.
Rosa said,
September 7, 2012 @ 4:07 pm
Divine! Those profiteroles look ever so tempting.
Cheers,
Rosa
steph (whisk/spoon) said,
September 8, 2012 @ 3:03 am
Gah..profiteroles are one of my very favorite desserts! If I go to a bistro and they’re not on the dessert menu, I’m always a little let down.
Julia said,
September 8, 2012 @ 3:05 pm
So pretty. Saw your photo on FoodGawker.com and clicked over to your site.
e / dig in hobart said,
September 10, 2012 @ 12:30 pm
Yum, profiteroles! they are so easy to make – And so easy to eat :-). There’s a cafe near Garagiste – cupping room or pumphouse (name changes apparently and i can’t recall what it is now). I adore the italian pantry for gorgeous italian groceries and the best hot chocolate i’ve had in a long time. aproneers in lindisfarne has been causing a stir here with its organic/local ethos. daci and daci near salamanca is great cakes/pastries but appalling (unfriendly, slow) service. and fish 247 in north hobart is the best fish cafe/restaurant, much better than the wharf/salamanca offerings. well it was last time i went! great tempting ice creams too, and just down the street from the state cinema. bring layers – the weather is so chanegable at the moment (that’s tassie for you). sunny one day, snowing the next!
Y said,
September 10, 2012 @ 1:30 pm
Hi e, Thanks very much for the recommendations. I’ve made a note of them and hopefully will get to check at least some of them out. From last experience, quite a few places were closed on the days when I was free, but fingers crossed!
InTolerantChef said,
September 10, 2012 @ 6:57 pm
So lovely, I’ve been meaning to make some gluten free profiteroles for ages now! Thanks for giving me the push I needed 🙂 Hope you have a lovely trip!
e / dig in hobart said,
September 11, 2012 @ 8:54 am
i know what you mean about opening hours. when i first moved here a few years ago (i’m from sydney originally) the shops shut at noon on saturday and sunday trading was definitely unheard of. and still is in some parts. probably why we all go to the mainland to do our shopping. good luck!
Katie said,
September 11, 2012 @ 10:45 am
Gosh those look amazing!! Could do with some of them right now here in this miserable weather in my part of the world, New Zealand 🙁
Catherine said,
September 14, 2012 @ 4:01 pm
I had the most divine rendition in LA a few months ago very similar to your one here – profiteroles, ice cream and dulche de leche. Still dream about it til this day, will have to give it a go, inspired by this post 🙂
Paula said,
September 16, 2012 @ 9:32 am
They look absolutely delicious! You have a great eye for food photography, every detail, down to the perfectly dripped chocolate, oozes a love for food! Thank you for the inspiring photos.