Profiteroles
Birthdays would simply not be the same in our house without that old staple of profiteroles.
Profiteroles are a great way to cater for a large group, as they can be prepared in advance then filled and topped just before serving.
3 cups of water
100 grams of butter, unsalted
300 grams plain 00 flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar or honey
1 vanilla bean, scraped
6 eggs
Double cream or Creme Patissiere to fill
Dark chocolate
Liqueur (Amaretto, Tia Maria, Mozart etc)
Pre-heat oven to 225°C
In a large saucepan combine water, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until a smooth paste is formed. Allow to cool slightly before adding the eggs one at a time (or you will get scrambled eggs), beating well with eat addition.
As the egg incorporates, the dough will form a thick glossy ball, coming away from the sides of the pan easily - this may take some time and a lot of elbow-grease, don't panic.
Allow to sit for few minutes before piping dessertspoonfuls of the pastry mix onto a lined baking sheet.
Bake in a hot oven for 5-10 minutes or until puffed up, then reduce heat to 175°C and cook for a further 30 minutes.
Pierce the base of each profiterole and return them to a cool oven, allowing to dry out well with no sticky centres. Once cooked through and crisp, allow to cool on a wire rack.
When cool, fill profiteroles with whipped double cream or Creme Patissiere. Melt dark chocolate, adding a teaspoon of butter to improve gloss and stir through liqueur, drizzling over profiteroles, serve with strawberries, raspberries or fresh cherries in kirsch.
Alternative: Add the zest of an orange and a pinch of saffron to the water at the start of the cooking process. Use Cointreau in the chocolate and serve with threads of orange zest or candied peel.