Profiteroles

Recipe:

Ingredients for the choux pastry:
200ml/7fl oz cold water, 4 tsp caster sugar, 85g/3oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing, 115g/4oz plain flour, pinch salt, 3 medium free-range eggs, beaten

Ingredients for the cream filling:
600ml/1 pint double cream
For the chocolate sauce
100ml/3½fl oz water, 80g/3oz caster sugar, 200g/7oz good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place a small roasting tin in the bottom of the oven to heat.
- For the choux pastry, place the water, sugar and butter into a large saucepan. Heat gently until the butter has melted.
- Turn up the heat, then quickly pour in the flour and salt all in one go.

- Remove from the heat and beat the mixture vigorously until you have a smooth paste. Once the mixture comes away from the side of the pan, transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes
- Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until the mixture is smooth and glossy and has a soft dropping consistency - you may not need all the egg.
- Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Using a piping bag, pipe the mixture into small balls in lines across the baking sheet. Gently rub the top of each ball with a wet finger - this helps to make a crisper top.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven. Before closing the oven door, pour half a cup of water into the roasting tin at the bottom of the oven, then quickly shut the door. This helps to create more steam in the oven and make the pastry rise better. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown.
- Remove from the oven. Prick the base of each profiterole with a skewer. Place back onto the baking sheet with the hole in the base facing upwards and return to the oven for five minutes. The warm air from the oven helps to dry out the middle of the profiteroles.
- For the filling, lightly whip the cream until soft peaks form. When the profiteroles are cold, use a piping bag to pipe the cream into the profiteroles.
- For the chocolate sauce, place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil to make a syrup. Reduce the heat to a simmer and place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over the pan. Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally until melted. Take the pan off the heat, pour the syrup mixture into the chocolate and stir until smooth and well combined.
- To serve, place the stuffed profiteroles into a large serving dish and pour over the chocolate sauce. Serve hot or cold.

Region Details:
Profiteroles are thought to have come from Italy it is said that they were created by Poelli, the chef of Catherine de Medici, and that they then arrived in France in the 16th century. However, the term ‘Choux’ is half of the word ‘Chou-fleur’ meaning cauliflower, and connotes the idea of an encased white filling.
It is quite common for the French to have a large pyramid of Profiteroles held together with caramel, as an alternative to a wedding cake. This is called a ‘Croquembouche’ which literally translates as ‘Crisp in the mouth’. In Greece, the profiterole or Prophiteról are varied to the traditional recipe and are served in a bowl, covered with chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream.