Profiteroles are a dessert originating from France. This classic dessert is made of choux pastry that is filled with pastry cream, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. These small choux are often covered with a chocolate sauce. Profiteroles are often accompanied by chantilly cream.
What is a profiterole?
A profiterole is a small choux filled with custard, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream that is topped with warm chocolate sauce. This very popular dessert originated in France.
The choux pastry for the profiteroles consists of simple ingredients: milk, butter, flour and eggs. The main difficulty in making this dessert lies in the ability to make the choux pastry. Indeed, it raises during cooking but falls back instantly when you open the door during baking. That’s why you should never open the oven during baking; otherwise the choux will collapse and become flat.
The profiteroles we know today were created in the 19th century. Also, at that time, there was no mention of vanilla ice cream or chocolate sauce. This dessert has been expatriated and is, until today, very popular in Louisiana in the United States, especially in New Orleans.
The climate in this city makes the making of profiteroles particularly delicate. Indeed, it is safer not to fill the choux with custard because it goes bad quickly under the effect of heat. In the summer, it can be 30˚C. An excellent alternative is to substitute the custard with vanilla ice cream, which is more stable and refreshing in hot weather.
What is the origin of choux pastry?
Choux pastry dates back to the 16th century and was invented by a pastry chef named Pantanelli. He was a pastry chef who worked for Queen Catherine de Medici. The latter invited in turn the greatest cooks of the kingdom so that they could regale her guests during banquets and festivities at court.
But it was not until 1540 that his successor Popelini introduced choux pastry to the court. In fact, Popelini recovered the recipes of his predecessor Pantanelli and improved them. Thus, he revisits a recipe based on cake dough dried on the fire, called “pâte à chaud“, which he shapes into small choux.
In the 17th century, the pastry chef Jean Avice and his apprentice Antonin Carême reworked Popelini’s recipe and came up with the perfect recipe. The “pâte à chaud” became “pâte à choux“.
Later, Popelini ventured to fry this choux pastry and, surprised to see them swell in contact with the boiling oil, named them “nun’s farts“.
What is the origin of profiteroles?
Profiteroles are a French dessert that dates back to the 17th century. At the time, they existed in a salted form. In fact, they were hollow buns filled with meat and a filling. Among the most common fillings are curtains, truffles, mushrooms or artichoke bottoms. The meats used to garnish the profiteroles were poultry from hunting, such as partridge or dove.
How to make a successful choux pastry?
Choux pastry is a technical recipe that requires a few tricks of the trade. The difficulty lies in cooking the choux. If you open the oven door during baking, the baked goods may collapse like soufflés. But there are other tricks to make them work for sure.
First, it is important to dry the choux pastry on the fire with a wooden spoon to obtain a homogeneous ball of dough called “panade”. It is important that the panade is compact before adding the eggs.
It is also essential that the panade be cooled before introducing the eggs. Also, be sure to incorporate them one at a time so as not to alter the texture of the recipe.
Besides, be sure to space the choux out on the baking sheet because they will swell up during baking. Spacing them properly allows the hot air to circulate and promotes more even baking of the choux.
To obtain regular and round choux, you can place a disk of craquelin immediately after having placed the choux on the baking sheet. Craquelin are made from a mixture of sugar, butter and flour in equal amounts.
It is also possible to make round choux by dipping a fork in water and pressing it lightly on each hot choux before putting them in the oven.
Other choux pastry-based desserts
The větrník is a delicious little choux filled with caramel and vanilla cream and covered with a shiny caramel icing that is popular in the Czech Republic.
The croquembouche is a “pièce montée” that is prepared from small choux filled with mousseline cream and coated with crunchy caramel. This dessert is usually found in the form of a cone, which is its characteristic shape.
Zeppole di San Giuseppe are individual cakes made of fried choux pastry and custard that are given to dads on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19, Father’s Day in Italy.
Finally, traditional French pastries such as the religieuse and the éclair use choux pastry.
This recipe is validated by our culinary expert in French cuisine, Chef Simon. You can find Chef Simon on his website Chef Simon – Le Plaisir de Cuisiner.
Profiteroles
Ingredients
For the choux pastry
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup water
- 1 pinch fine salt
- ½ teaspoon caster sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 6 oz. whole eggs , beaten (about 3 large eggs)
For the garnish
- 16 oz. vanilla ice cream
For the chocolate sauce
- 1¼ cup milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream (minimum 30% fat)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 oz. chocolate , 55% cocoa, cut into pieces
For the craquelin (optional)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter , soft
- 1 pinch fine salt
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Pastry bag
- Plain pastry tip (⅓ inch / 8 mm)
- Cookie cutter (1 inch / 3 cm)
- Hand blender
Instructions
Craquelin (optional)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the flat beater, mix all the ingredients until obtaining a smooth paste.
- Roll out the paste to about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thickness between 2 sheets of parchment paper.
- Place the craquelin paste still in the parchment paper on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Choux pastry
- In a non-stick saucepan, add the water, salt, sugar and butter and heat over low heat until the butter is just melted (do not boil).
- Off the heat, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon.
- When there are no more lumps, put the pan back on the heat and dry the dough over low to medium heat, stirring it vigorously continuously so that it dries out, for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- As soon as a thin film of dough adheres to the bottom of the pan and the dough easily forms a nice ball that detaches from its walls, it is ready.
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl, stirring it from time to time to help it cool down.
- Preheat the oven to 430 F (220°C).
- When the dough is lukewarm, pour the equivalent of the volume of an egg and mix with a wooden spoon for 15 seconds.
- Repeat the operation, adding the rest of the eggs little by little and waiting for one to be completely incorporated before adding the next one. The dough should be shiny, smooth, with a texture similar to very thick pastry cream.
- The choux pastry is ready to use. It should be used immediately.
- Using a spatula, transfer it to a pastry bag fitted with a plain choux pastry tip about ⅓ inch (8 mm) in diameter.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and, using the pastry bag, pipe 18 small heaps of dough about 1 inch (3 cm) apart.
- Take the craquelin out of the freezer. It should be very cold.
- Using a plain cookie cutter, cut 1 inch (3 cm) diameter rounds of craquelin and place them on each choux pastry.
- Put the puffs in the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 390 F (200°C).
- Bake them for 10 minutes then lower the oven temperature again to 350 F (175°C) and bake again for about 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Never open the oven door during the entire baking time.
- Remove the puffs from the oven and let them cool off the baking sheet.
Chocolate sauce
- Place all the ingredients in a non-stick coated saucepan and bring to a temperature of 175 F (80°C).
- Leave to rest for 2 minutes and, using a hand blender, mix everything quickly without introducing air bubbles.
- The sauce should be enjoyed at a temperature between 70 F and 105 F (20°C and 40°C) depending on taste; the colder it is, the thicker it will be.
Assembly
- Pierce the bottom of each choux using a thin pastry tip.
- Take the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften a little. Work it to soften it.
- When it is soft enough, pour it into a pastry bag fitted with a ⅓ inch (8 mm) pastry tip.
- Fill the profiteroles with vanilla ice cream quickly and place them in the freezer immediately for about 30 minutes.
Service
- Place one or more profiteroles on a plate and let them warm up for a few minutes.
- At the same time, warm the chocolate sauce gently either in the microwave or in a bain-marie.
- Generously pour warm sauce over the chocolate profiteroles and serve immediately
Video
Sources
Wikipedia (FR) – Profiterole
Wikipedia (FR) – Pâte à Choux
As the founder of pastry food blog Les Trois Madeleines, Sarah-Eden reinvents glamorous desserts with original pastries. She enjoys discovering new blogs, interacting with food bloggers, and of course, she loves madeleines!
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