Profiteroles are one of the most deceptively glam desserts you can possibly make. Period. They look as if they take hours to prepare – but they’re actually so quick and easy to make – and so absolutely delicious, they’ve become my go-to dessert for those occasions (like this Mother’s Day) when I need something special, but not necessarily time-consuming or complicated.

The real effort (if there is any) in profiteroles comes with making the pastry puffs. But if you don’t over-think it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easily they come together. The puffs are created with choux pastry – a French pastry that’s also used for cream puffs and chocolate éclairs, so once you’ve mastered the profiterole, it’s very easy to venture further into the world of patisserie using this same recipe and a few simple variations.

Choux Pastry Puffs for Profiteroles

You’ll need a good non-stick saucepan (I have a Calphalon saucepan that works beautifully for these) as you actually make this pastry, in part, over heat – and a non-stick makes all the difference when you add the flour and form the basic dough.

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1-cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ sticks butter
• 1-cup milk (I use whole, 2% or reduced fat but not skim)
• pinch of salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the milk as the butter is melting and bring them to a scald (not boiling but very hot)
4. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, stir in the flour. It will look like a lumpy mess for a few seconds but keep stirring – the mixture will quickly form a dough.
5. Pour the dough mixture into the food processor and mix in the egg yolks one at a time, along with the pinch of salt. (If you haven’t got a food processor, as I didn’t for many years, a large mixing bowl, a strong wooden spoon and some arm muscle will do the trick just fine!).
6. Mix in the egg yolks until the dough is thick.
7. Place the dough in the sleeve of a pastry bag and pipe small rounds onto the baking sheet. Alternately – and I find this way to be faster, easier and just as effective – create small “puffs” of dough using two dessert spoons. (“Puffs” should measure about 1” to 1.5” across).
8. Bake on 400F for 20 minutes until puffs have risen and are golden. Turn off oven and let them rest for 10 more minutes.
9. Remove from oven and use a sharp knife to cut a small horizontal slit in the side of each puff (this helps the steam escape).
10. Set on cooling rack until ready for use. (Puffs can be frozen for a few weeks).

Chocolate Profiterole Sauce

What You Need

• 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ - ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tsp pure vanilla essence

(NOTE: You’ll also need a pint or more of your favourite vanilla ice cream!)

What You Do

1. Melt chocolate chips and whipped cream together in a double-boiler (see Chocolate Orange Hot Fudge Honey Sauce for how-to).
   
2. As the chocolate melts, stir in the honey and vanilla essence. Keep stirring until all ingredients have melted and the sauce has become a gorgeous, silky smooth gloss.

To Serve Your Profiteroles…
Depending upon their size, take two or three puffs and fill them with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream (if you prefer, you can also fill them with thick whipped cream). Pour chocolate sauce over each puff and serve immediately.

Options & Alternatives…You can use the same pastry puffs to create Cream Puffs. You can also incorporate shredded cheese into the choux pastry recipe for savory pastry puffs that can be filled to create all kinds of bite-sized hors d’oeuvres!

Archive Note: I first wrote about profiteroles in "Behold the Profiterole" on Modern Girls Kitchen in September, 2005. Check out the original entry here.