Profiteroles With Custard and Chocolate Sauce

I think I've made a lifetime's supply of profiteroles in the last two weeks. It has definitely been an opportunity to perfect my choux pastry technique! Chocolate and custard are favourites in this house, so it's not been unwelcome ;-)

I was making a Croquembouche for a birthday last weekend. Everything went perfectly - the choux pastry, the custard, filling the little balls of delight - until I came to build the Croq itself. I was using a recipe that used melted white chocolate to stick the buns together and I thought it was all going swimmingly until I came to release it from its cone. Collapse. Don't admit defeat, I thought. I went through all the possibilities. Time was short. Royal icing, I decided. Whipped up a batch and reglued the buns together using icing. Then I forced myself to leave the house for four hours to let it set (I had no longer and this was already a stressful thing to do when I was due to deliver it that afternoon). I returned, full of hope. Slowly I edged it out of its cone. It stood up but it looked a little crooked. Like a witch's hat with a little kink at the top. I moved around looking at it from different angles. The bottom seemed to be expanding, it leant a little bit more, then a little bit more, before a large splat on the kitchen workbench.

I have the loveliest friends. They were insistent that I deliver the mashed up Croq with some chocolate sauce on top, but I just had to make a new batch. So it was during this time that I perfected my profiterole making and streamlined a quick and easy method for making them. The custard part needs to be made before, but you can always fill them with whipped cream. And the chocolate sauce is super easy, very rich and hugely indulgent.

I suggest making the choux buns the day before you need them. They can get a little soft but I just blasted them in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp them up before filling on the day you plan to serve them. I've heard a number of people worry that choux is difficult to make but this is a pretty fullproof method. You put butter and water in a saucepan until the butter is melted and then bring to the boil. Add the flour in one go and mix vigorously over the heat until it comes together and comes away cleanly from the side of the pan. This takes around 30 seconds. Take it off the heat and place to one side for 5 minutes. After this cooling, add the eggs one by one, stirring vigorously after each one. A lot of recipes suggest that you may not need to add all the eggs but if unsure then add all the eggs. Then pop this in a piping bag. Snip 1cm off the end.

I pipe mine onto silpat lined baking trays but you can use baking parchment. Pipe 24 balls (4 x 6 balls) onto your tray. You'll probably get a little point on the top of each ball and using a little water on your finger, gently pat down the point (this stops it from burning in the oven). I cook mine for 10 minutes, then rotate the trays 180 degrees for another 10 minutes. Then remove them from the oven, cut a little slit in the side (around 1cm) and pop them back in for 5 minutes. Then allow to cool on a baking rack. Repeat with any remaining mixture. These can be stored in an airtight container until you're ready to use them.

I also make my custard the day before I need it and chill it in the fridge overnight. Now custard needs a lot of egg yolks, so it's always worth having something to make with all your leftover egg whites! It's very simple to make too. The egg yolks, sugar and flour are mixed together to make a paste. Then just boiling milk is poured over the egg mixture, whisked vigorously before returning to the saucepan. It's important to whisk this well as you don't want a scrambled egg mixture. You cook this over a low heat, always stirring, until it's thick and bubbling. Then it should be transferred to a bowl and covered with a layer of clingfilm so that the clingfilm is in contact with the surface of the custard. Once cool, it can be refrigerated.

On the day of serving, I generally give my choux buns 5 minutes at 160 degrees just to crisp them up a little. They cool down very quickly so by the time you've filled your piping bag with the custard, they're ready to fill. I use a pastry piping nozzle which has a long, thin nozzle that you can stick into the bun. Squeeze the custard in gently so you can see the filling spreading throughout and the bun will expand a little when it's full. If you're concerned you may be over-filling them, start with a little and you can always go back and top up.

The chocolate sauce is very rich and indulgent and sets quite quickly so you need to pour it on as soon as it's ready. It's warm when you pour it, but you can serve it cool (it will harden a little) or warm - both are delicious. The sauce is made from a sugar syrup (water and sugar) brought to the boil and then reduced to simmering. Whilst simmering, place a bowl with a chocolate on top (as a bain-marie) and allow the melt gently. When it's melted, pour the sugar syrup into the bowl and mix well until combined. Then pour immediately on the profiteroles.

The three elements for making the profiteroles could be really complicated, but are in fact very straightforward when broken into four steps. Making the choux buns and custard the day before, removes the stress completely when you have friends or family waiting to eat them. And making a fresh, warm, chocolate sauce poured over the top in front of your guests is the best (and not only for the smell of the chocolate!)

Profiteroles always seem to be a winner. Kids and adults alike love them. And I think they make such a special dessert, just perfect for sharing :)

Profiteroles with Custard and Chocolate Sauce

adapted from BBC Good Food

Choux Bun Ingredients

• 185G PLAIN FLOUR
• 175G UNSALTED BUTTER
• 450ML WATER
• 6 LARGE EGGS, BEATEN

Choux Bun Method

1. Place the butter and water in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted
2. Bring to the boil and add the flour all at once
3. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and comes away cleanly from the side of the pan (around 20-30 seconds)
4. Remove from the heat and put to one side for 5 minutes
5. Beat in the eggs one by one until the mixture is glossy and just holding its shape without being too runny
6. Put this in a piping bag and cut 1 cm of the end of the bag
7. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (fan)
8. Line 2 baking trays with silpat or baking parchment and pipe 24 rounds onto one sheet (6 x 4 balls around 3cm)
9. If you have little peaks on the top of your buns, pat each peak gently with a lightly dampened finger
10. Place the two trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes
11. Then rotate the trays 180 degrees and bake for a further 10 minutes
12. Remove from the oven and cut a 1cm slit in the side of each bun and place back in the oven for 5 minutes
13. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack
14. Once cool, put them in an airtight container overnight

Custard Ingredients

• 9 LARGE EGG YOLKS
• 150g GOLDEN CASTER SUGAR
• 50g PLAIN FLOUR
• 500ml FULL CREAM MILK
• 1 TBSP VANILLA PASTE (to taste)

Custard Method

1. Beat the egg yolks, sugar, flour and vanilla paste in a bowl until you have a smooth paste
2. Bring the milk just to the boil and then pour it over the egg mixture, whisking all the time
3. When combined, pour it back into the saucepan over a low heat, whisking all the time
4. Keep whisking until the custard is bubbling and thickened
5. Remove from the heat and cover with clingfilm so the clingfilm is in contact with the surface of the custard
6. Once cool, refrigerate until ready to use

Preparing Your Profiteroles

1. When you're ready to assemble the profiteroles, if the choux buns feel a little soft, put them in oven at 160 degrees for 5 minutes
2. Using a pastry nozzle, fill your piping bag with the custard
3. Take each ball in turn, insert the piping nozzle into the side of the ball and gently fill each one with custard - you will feel the ball inflate slightly
4. Continue until all balls are filled and then assemble on your serving dish

Chocolate Sauce Ingredients

• 100ML WATER
• 80G CASTER SUGAR
• 200G DARK CHOCOLATE (broken into small pieces)

Chocolate Sauce Method

1. Bring the water and sugar to the boil in a saucepan and then reduce to a simmer
2. Place the chocolate in a bowl and place this over the top of the saucepan
3. Stir the chocolate from time to time until it's all melted
4. Once melted, pour the sugar syrup from the saucepan into the bowl of melted chocolate
5. Stir until smooth
6. Pour immediately over your dish of profiteroles
7. The profiteroles can be served with either warm sauce or sauce allowed to cool - although there is something especially yummy about warm, melted chocolate sauce over a plate of these little choux buns :)