Profiteroles

Profiteroles with Ice Cream and Warm Chocolate Sauce

Classic French restaurant dessert of choux pastry puffs filled with vanilla ice cream, stacked into a pyramid and drenched in warm chocolate sauce at the table. Best assembled just before serving so the pastry stays crisp.

Prep

25 min

Cook

35 min

Total

60 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •125 ml (½ cup) whole milk
• •125 ml (½ cup) water
• •100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• •1 tsp granulated sugar
• •fine salt, ½
• •75 g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) plain flour, all-purpose; sifted
• •3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• •1 L (1 quart) vanilla ice cream, good-quality, slightly softened; 1–2 scoops per profiterole
• •200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate, 60–70% cacao, finely chopped
• •250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, min. 30% fat
• •30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, for the sauce
• •2 tbsp caster sugar, or superfine sugar
• •1 tsp vanilla extract
• •1 pinch salt
• •1 tbsp unsalted butter, to grease the tray

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) conventional / 180°C fan. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lightly grease with the 1 tbsp butter.
2. 2 Make the choux: combine the milk, water, butter cubes, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat.
3. 3 Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return to low heat and stir for 1–2 minutes to dry out the paste; a thin film should form on the pan bottom.
4. 4 Transfer the dough to a stand mixer (or a bowl) and beat for 1 minute to release some steam. Slowly add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Stop when the dough is glossy, soft and falls in a slow ribbon from the spoon; you may not need all the egg.
5. 5 Transfer the paste to a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) round tip. Pipe small mounds about 3 cm (1¼ in) wide, spacing them 4 cm (1½ in) apart. Smooth any peaks with a damp fingertip.
6. 6 Bake for 20 minutes at 200°C (400°F). Without opening the oven, reduce the heat to 170°C (340°F) and bake a further 12–15 minutes, until the puffs are deep golden, feel very light and sound hollow when tapped. Do not open the oven in the first 20 minutes or they will collapse.
7. 7 Turn off the oven, pierce each puff with a small knife to let steam escape, and leave them in the oven with the door ajar for 5 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
8. 8 Make the chocolate sauce: heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just simmers. Remove from heat, add the chopped chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then whisk smooth. Whisk in the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until glossy. Keep warm.
9. 9 Assemble: slice each puff horizontally, fill with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and replace the lid. Stack the filled puffs in a pyramid on a serving plate.
10. 10 Pour the warm chocolate sauce generously over the top at the table and serve immediately, while the pastry is still crisp and the ice cream is cold.