Profiteroles
Known in French as “Profiteroles”, these Cream Puffs with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce are a classic retro dessert at French brasseries, and I will inevitably go for them whenever I see them on the menu. Made of light-as-air cream puffs (“choux”) filled with cold ice cream and topped with velvety warm chocolate sauce, Profiteroles are traditionally served three on a plate – but you always wish you had a few more. This is a heavenly dessert with a serious wow factor, but you’ll be amazed how simple they…
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- For the cream puffs:
- 2 ½ tbsp (35g) unsalted butter, cubed up
- ½ cup (120ml) milk (2% or whole)½ cup (64g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- For the chocolate sauce:
- 4 oz (115g) bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa)
- 2/3 cup (160ml) milk (2% or whole)¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream (35%)
- For assembling:
- Vanilla ice-cream
- ¼ cup (15-20g) sliced almonds
Instructions
- 1
Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.
- 2
For the cream puffs:
- 3
Step 1 - In a medium sized saucepan, over medium-low heat, combine the butter and milk. Bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and immediately add in the flour and salt (previously sifted together), all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms; return the saucepan to low heat and keep stirring until dough ‘dries out’ – meaning it pulls away from the pan and takes on a clean, glossy look (about 30 sec to 1 minute).
- 4
Step 2 - Remove from the heat again and let cool for 5 minutes. Beat the eggs thoroughly into the dough, one at a time. It is important each egg is fully incorporated into the batter before adding the next. If the dough separates, keep beating and it will come together again. In the end, you should have a semi-thick, slightly sticky batter. Transfer the batter to a piping bag (or a large freezer bag) and chill for at least 1 hour.
- 5
Step 3 - Pre-heat your oven to 400F (200C) with a rack in the middle. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- 6
Pipe the choux batter into small mounds (1 ½ inches – 3.5cm), leaving at least 1 inch (2.5cm) space in between each one. Bake for 25 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned, rotating the baking sheet front to back after 12 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely
- 7
For the Chocolate Sauce:
- 8
In a medium sauce pan, over medium-low heat, melt the chocolate, milk and cream. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is shiny and smooth (it shouldn’t reach a simmering temperature). Set aside.
- 9
To assemble:
- 10
To assemble, make sure first you have everything (baked choux, ice cream, chocolate sauce and almond slices) in front of you, as you will need to act fast. Use a serrated knife to slice the choux horizontally. Fill each choux base with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and close them with their top parts. Place three profiteroles on each serving plate, drizzle with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with almond slices.
- 11
Serve immediately.