If you fancy a more challenging recipe this week then mastering choux pastry for these delicious chocolate profiteroles from the BBC Good Food website is the one for you.
Ingredients
- 50g butter
- 2 tablespoons of caster sugar
- 75g plain white flour
- pinch of salt
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 300ml double cream
- few drops vanilla extract
For the sauce:
- 50g cocoa powder
- 175g caster sugar
You will also need a large saucepan, wooden spoon, two baking trays, mixing bowl and electric whisk, and either a piping bag or you can use teaspoons and a wire cooling rack.
How to make:
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
2. To make the profiteroles: (These can be made 2-3 hours before you want to eat them) put the butter and 2 teaspoons (of the 2 tablespoons) of the caster sugar in a saucepan with 150ml water. Place the pan over a low heat until the butter and sugar have melted, then bring to the boil. (Photo 1).
3. Take off the heat, add the flour and pinch of salt all at once and beat energetically with a wooden spoon until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan. (Photo 2).
4. Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the eggs bit by bit until you have a stiff, glossy mixture (this process is much easier either using an electric mixer or electric whisk). (Photo 3).
5. Rinse two baking trays with cold water, shaking off any excess so they are slightly damp (this helps the pastry to rise). Using 2 teaspoons or a piping bag if you have one, spoon blobs of the mixture onto the baking trays. (Photo 4). Then place in the oven and cook for about 18-20 mins until well risen and brown. Remove the profiteroles from the oven and VERY IMPORTANT: cut a small slit in the base of each one so they don’t collapse using the point of a sharp knife or a metal skewer. Cool on a wire rack to allow the steam to escape don’t put them onto a plate until cold. (Photo 5).
6. When they’re cold, whisk the cream together with the remaining sugar (from the 2 tablespoons) and a few drops of vanilla extract until just holding its shape. (Photo 6).
7. Cut the profiteroles in half, fill them with the sweetened cream (you can either use a teaspoon or a piping bag to do this) (Photo 7). You can refrigerate them for 1-2 hrs at this point but not for any longer as the pastry will go soggy.
8. To make the sauce: sift the cocoa powder into a bowl. Put the 175g of sugar in a saucepan with 100ml water and heat until dissolved. Bring to the boil, cook for 1 minute, then pour over the cocoa powder and stir well until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan, cook for 1 min then set aside for 15 mins before drizzling over the profiteroles. (Photo8) enjoy!
For more information on Jane Cooper and other recipes visit the Cooking with Jane page here.
