Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce
makes about 24 profiteroles
(recipe from from the Sur La Table class)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3-4 large eggs
- 1 quart vanilla ice cream
To make the pate a choux: In a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a gentle boil over medium high heat, stirring to melt the butter completely. Add all the flour at once and continue to stir until the flour is incorporated and the dough becomes a mass that pulls away from the sides of the pot. Remove from the heat ans scrape the dough into a mixing bowl. Using a standing or hand held mixer, beat the dough on medium to cool it off a bit. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically. When all the eggs have been incorporated, the dough should be thick, smooth, and glossy paste.
Pipe 24 puffs on the lined baking sheets- about 2 inches apart. Keep mounds as high and round as possible. With a wet finger, gently tap the tops of each profiterole to remove the point and round the top. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate sauce (see below).
Reduce the heat to 350F and continue to cook the puffs for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Do not open the oven door or remove pans from the oven until the puffs are firm to the touch. The profiteroles should be golden brown and well-risen. Allow the shells to cool before filling.
Using a serrated knife, slice the pastry puffs almost in half (I cut through them completely). Place 3 profiteroles on each dessert plate and fill with a scoop of ice cream. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the top; garnish with fruit & a mint leaf
For the Chocolate Sauce
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 pound semisweet chocolate, cut in chunks (I used morsels!)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine the cream and butter in a small heavy bottomed sauced pan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until bubbles appear around the sides of the pot, but do not allow the cream to boil. Mix in the chocolate and vanilla; remove from the heat and stir until the chocolate melts and the sauce is smooth.