Profiterole

Profiteroles with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hot Chocolate Sauce

A classic French dessert of choux pastry puffs filled with vanilla ice cream (or whipped cream), drenched in a warm dark chocolate sauce. The combination of crisp shell, cold creamy filling, and glossy hot chocolate is the hallmark of the dish.

Prep

30 min

Cook

35 min

Total

65 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •125 ml (½ cup) whole milk, for the choux
• •125 ml (½ cup) water, for the choux
• •110 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, for the choux
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •5 g (2 tsp) caster sugar, for the choux
• •150 g (1¼ cups) plain flour (Type 55), sifted; measure by weight for accurate choux
• •4 whole (4 large) eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• •500 ml (2 cups) vanilla ice cream, traditionally crème glacée à la vanille; allow to soften slightly
• •250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, optional substitute for ice cream, whipped to soft peaks with 1 tbsp powdered sugar and ½ tsp vanilla
• •200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (70%), finely chopped; couverture if possible
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) heavy cream, for the chocolate sauce
• •30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, for the chocolate sauce
• •15 g (1 tbsp) caster sugar, for the chocolate sauce
• •1 tsp vanilla extract, or ½ split vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• •50 g (½ cup) fromage frais or cream cheese, optional French addition for tang in whipped cream filling; optional
• •10 g (2 tsp) powdered sugar, for dusting, optional

Steps

1. 1 Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment. If using a convection oven, drop to 180°C (360°F).
2. 2 Make the choux: combine milk, water, butter, salt and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a rolling boil, ensuring the butter is fully melted.
3. 3 Add all the flour at once, remove from heat, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides, about 1 minute. Return to low heat for 30 seconds to dry the dough.
4. 4 Transfer dough to a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes to cool slightly. Add beaten eggs gradually, about a quarter at a time, beating well after each addition. Stop when the dough is smooth, glossy, and falls in a slow ribbon from the spoon (you may not need all 4 eggs).
5. 5 Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5 cm (½ in) round tip. Pipe 18–24 mounds about 3–4 cm (1¼ in) wide onto the lined sheet, spacing them 4 cm (1½ in) apart. Smooth any peaks with a wet fingertip.
6. 6 Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C (400°F), then reduce to 170°C (340°F) and bake another 20–25 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Do not open the oven in the first 15 minutes or the puffs will collapse. They are done when they sound hollow when tapped and the bases are dry.
7. 7 Cool puffs on a wire rack. When cool, slice off the top third or pierce the base with a skewer to create a pocket for the filling.
8. 8 Make the chocolate sauce: heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan until just simmering. Remove from heat, add chopped chocolate and butter, let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth and glossy. Stir in vanilla. Keep warm.
9. 9 Assemble: place a small scoop of softened vanilla ice cream (about 2 tbsp) inside each puff and replace the lid. For a French-style cream filling, whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla (and fromage frais if using) to soft peaks and pipe into the puffs.
10. 10 To serve, arrange 3 profiteroles per person on warmed plates and pour the hot chocolate sauce over them at the table so the sauce cascades over the puffs. Serve immediately.