Posted on Friday, 21st January 2011 by Grace Massa Langlois
What is a Profiterole? A Profiterole is a dessert dish consisting of Pâte à Choux Puffs (Choux Pastry Puffs) filled with Crème Chantilly (Sweetened Whipped Cream flavoured with Vanilla) or Crème Patissiere (pastry cream). The puffs can also be filled with ice cream. If you frequent Italian Bakeries you will generally see the choux puffs made to resemble swans and filled with Crema Pasticcera.
Profiteroles can be garnished simply with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar or decadently with chocolate sauce or caramel sauce drizzled on top. The tops can also be dipped in a crunchy caramel glaze. The crunchy caramel glazed profiterole is generally used when assembling a Croquembouche (the profiteroles are arranged in the shape of a cone and held together by the caramel glaze and decorated with spun sugar).
You may be asking yourself why the “Profiterole tutorial” – I am asked on a regular basis “What is the dessert pictured in your web site banner?” and “Do you have the recipe posted?” I thought it was high time that I share one of my favourite desserts – Profiteroles with Vanilla Crème Chantilly and Hot Chocolate Sauce.
Shortly after getting married I attempted Profiteroles for the first time. At the time I referred to them as “Cream Puffs“. I was hoping to impress my new husband with light and airy puffs filled with cloud like cream. Unfortunately the puffs were rock hard and burnt on the bottom. And the Crème Chantilly – lumpy! Thankfully I have come a long way since then.
Choux dessert pastry recipes on a whole are quite similar. The basic ingredients are butter, salt, sugar and water or a combination of water and milk. I prefer making choux pastry with 100% water because I have found the puffs rise much better.
The water in the mixture creates steam while baking, which forces the pastry to expand in volume creating a hollow centre giving the puffs a much lighter texture. I spritz the puffs lightly with water immediately before baking to help create more steam, which also creates volume in the puffs.
The Pâte à Choux Puffs can also be used to make another of my favourite French Pastries, the Chocolate Éclair (decadence at it’s best!). The flip side to the dessert Profiterole is the savoury Profiterole known as the Gougères. The Gougères is a savoury Pâte à Choux with cheese. They can be filled with an assortment of different ingredients such as meat and vegetables.
Be it sweet or savoury the Profiterole will be sure to please!
Profiteroles with Vanilla Crème Chantilly and Hot Chocolate Sauce
- Pâte à Choux Puffs – Choux Pastry Puffs
- Crème Chantilly - Chantilly Cream
- Hot Chocolate Sauce
Pâte à Choux Puffs – Choux Pastry Puffs {Pasta Choux – Bignè}
- 140 g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 237 ml (1 cup) water
- 113 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, cut into 16 equal pieces
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs
- Preheat oven to 220° C (425° F). Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick baking paper or silicone-baking mats. Using a fine mesh sieve sift the flour onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper, set-aside.
- In a medium saucepan bring water, butter, sugar and salt to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring gently with a wooden spoon.
- When mixture begins to boil add flour all at once and stir vigorously until paste reaches an internal temperature of 80° C or 176° F and also pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, about 1 minute. (A tell tale sign that the paste is cooked is if a white film develops on the base of the pan.) Remove from heat.
- Allow paste to cool, stirring a couple of times, to internal temperature of 50° C or 122° F, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one-at-a-time, stirring vigorously after each addition making sure each egg is well incorporated before adding the next.
- Transfer choux pastry to large pastry bag fitted with large plain tip (i.e. Wilton 1A). Pipe 4-cm (1½-inches) high mounds, spacing 8-cm (3-inches) apart, on prepared baking sheets. To prevent tops from burning level peaked tops with tip of a wet finger.
- Lightly spritz puffs with water and immediately place in the oven to bake (water will help to create steam which helps create volume in the puffs while baking). Bake until tops and sides are golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Turn off oven and allow puffs to rest in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven; poke each puff in the side with a small paring knife to allow steam to escape. Transfer to wire rack and allow puffs to cool completely.
Crème Chantilly – Chantilly Cream {Crema Chantilly}
- 1½ vanilla pods
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream (35%)
- 1½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pods into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the heavy cream, and confectioners’ sugar. Whisk together until soft peaks form or stiff peaks form (*See Recipe Notes).
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
*Recipe Notes – Whisk Crème Chantilly to a soft peak if you plan to pierce the bottom of the puffs and fill. Whisk Crème Chantilly to a stiff peak if you plan on cutting the puff in half and then filling with Crème Chantilly.
Gordon Ramsay’s Hot Chocolate Sauce
- 200 g (7 ounces) good quality dark chocolate, 70%, coarsely chopped
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons liquid honey
- 125 ml (½-cup) whole milk
- Place the chocolate, unsalted butter and honey into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate and butter has melted.
- Gradually whisk in the milk until you have a smooth sauce and the milk is warmed through, set aside.
Assembling the Profiteroles {Bignè}
- Transfer Crème Chantilly to a large piping bag with a small plain tip. Pierce the base of the choux puff with the tip of the nozzle and pipe in the Crème Chantilly. If you prefer – slice the choux puff crosswise, pipe a small amount of Crème Chantilly onto the bottom half, and replace the top.
- Repeat with remaining choux puffs. If not serving immediately refrigerate until ready to use.
- To serve, place the desired amount of profiteroles onto individual serving plates and drizzle with hot chocolate sauce.
- Enjoy!
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Tags: after school treat, afternoon tea, chocolate, chocolate dessert, chocolate sauce, dessert, dessert fillings, desserts, French desserts, french pastries, Gordon Ramsay recipes, individual dessert, individual desserts, quick desserts
Posted in Baking & Pastry, Baking Mise en Place, Custards, Creams & Mousses, Eggs, Fillings, Frostings & Dessert Sauces, Pastry Doughs & Batter, Recipes
Comments (44)
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January 21st, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Yours are so beautiful, I barely want to touch them and mess them up (though I would be more than happy to).
January 21st, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Oh man… a profiterole sounds so good right now! I like mine with custard, yum
January 21st, 2011 at 2:54 pm
I love them with custard too but I just made Cannoncini and used a pastry filling so I thought I would do something a little different.
January 21st, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Wish I could keep my hands off of them, too addictive.
January 21st, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Grace,
Indeed Pâte à Choux is one of those classics that never dies, and continues to contribute as an amazing canvas of unlimited tasty treats.
Bon appetit!
CCR
=:~)
January 21st, 2011 at 3:57 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by CajunChefRyan, Grace Langlois. Grace Langlois said: New Blog Post – Profiteroles with Vanilla Creme Chantilly and Hot Chocolate Sauce http://su.pr/2sO2ge #sweets #chocolate #desserts #fbz [...]
January 21st, 2011 at 4:02 pm
I like the picture with your hand holding the cream puff. Is that for me? Thank you very much! These look delicious!
January 21st, 2011 at 4:55 pm
These look fabulous! I love making pastry….I haven’t made pâte à choux in quite a long while. Thanks for the inspiration to try them again.
January 21st, 2011 at 5:02 pm
You’re back – yahoo! Just for you – How was the trip?
January 21st, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Oh la la! Those profiteroles look delicious! My sister loves them so I’ll try this recipe asap! Thanks for sharing!
January 21st, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Gracie, boy do those look wonderful!!!! Gosh, I think I could eat every part on its own, but all together? Ah….perfection!
January 21st, 2011 at 8:47 pm
I have been wanting to make cream puffs for a while now but have never gotten around to it. Your look so delicious! Maybe you could just send me some
January 21st, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Wow, these look fabulous!
January 21st, 2011 at 11:57 pm
Gorgeous pics! Great reipce.
January 22nd, 2011 at 3:21 am
Profiteroles are TIMELESS! and yours are very pretty!
January 22nd, 2011 at 6:27 am
Profiteroles are on my list of goodies to bake this year.
January 23rd, 2011 at 8:01 am
Gracie
those are gorgeous profiteroles!! your images are stunning! Now you have me wanting to make those little beauties, thanks so much for the detailed recipes!
Cheers
Dennis
January 23rd, 2011 at 6:10 pm
When I was a little kid my father and I made these once. I have often wanted to try them again as an adult. These are beautiful.
January 23rd, 2011 at 10:59 pm
Wow, those profiteroles sound like a real treat and with that luscious chocolate sauce pouring down them, I have no doubt that one is never enough.
January 23rd, 2011 at 11:48 pm
Gorgeous profiteroles! Have always wanted to try making these. Lots of effort went into the photography! Keep us drooling!! Julie
January 24th, 2011 at 1:54 am
Amazing photos! I can taste them with some ice cream on top (that used to be my favorite dessert while in high school).
January 24th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Those look absolutely delicious! We’d love to see your recipe posted on dishfolio.com!
January 29th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Your profiterols look wonderful. I tried twice, but they puff off after I turned off the owen. Where did I make wrong? Thank you in advance.
January 29th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Here are a few tips:
Hi Saime, here are a few tips I follow to help get light and fluffy choux buns;
1. Preheat oven to desired temperature and using an oven thermometer (you can pick up at the hardware store for a few dollars) check that the oven is reading the actual temperature and continue to heat for an additional 10 minutes before putting the choux buns in the oven to bake, so it gets nice and hot.
2. Put one baking sheet in at a time on the middle rack.
3. Do not use dark coloured baking sheets.
4. If you prefer to egg wash, make sure it does not drip down the sides, I no longer egg wash and I find the colour to be just fine.
5. If you are using a recipe that calls for milk switch to one that is 100% water (every time I use a recipe with milk it fails for me)
6. Immediately before placing the choux buns in to bake spritz with cold water, the steam created will help with the rise (if you do not have a spray bottle do as I do, I fill a glass with very cold water and dip my fingers in and flick cold water on each profiterole). Place in the oven immediately to bake.
7. Do not open the door during the first 15 minutes of baking, if you do the temp will decrease and you could lose the rise,
I hope these tips help, let me know how it goes.
January 31st, 2011 at 7:22 am
Dear Grace;
Thank you very much for your kind reply and your interest.I wil try again and inform you about the result.Lots of love from Turkey.
February 1st, 2011 at 7:18 am
Thank you!
February 4th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Glad you made these with hot chocolate sauce, best way to eat them. Lovely pictures, I could eat everyone.
February 4th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
I almost did Pauline, one is never enough.
April 29th, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Your recipes are Just incredible..Have had a lovely time Looking through them and they are Beautifully Illustrated and easy to follow…Many Thanks Jan
April 30th, 2011 at 7:14 am
Thank you Jan – Did you see my reply on the Facebook page? If you’d like I can email you any of the recipes in Word format. Hoping to have the print feature really soon.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:55 am
[...] Crème PâtissièreChocolate Ganache GlazePâte à Choux Puffs (Pasta Choux – Choux Pastry)Recette Pâte à Choux {Ricetta Pasta Choux – Choux Puff Pastry Recipe}To shape Éclairs PuffsTransfer pâte à choux to large pastry bag fitted with large plain tip [...]
December 17th, 2011 at 10:05 am
hi grace i made them n they came out nice but i have a small question.mine came out a little crispy is it normal?they should b crispy?
December 17th, 2011 at 10:48 am
Yes, yes and yes. They should be crispy on the outside, well done!
December 23rd, 2011 at 1:19 pm
[...] craving for Chocolate Éclairs and before I knew it one batch of éclairs turned into one batch of profiteroles and one batch of Zeppole. My kitchen island resembled a pastry shop display counter. Can you [...]
April 28th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
[...] with Vanilla Crème Chantilly Image by GracesSweetLife Profiteroles with Vanilla Creme Chantilly and Hot Chocolate Sauce Recipe Tagged Chocolate, Nice, photos. Bookmark the permalink. « Hershey’s Chocolate [...]
June 3rd, 2012 at 9:12 am
[...] RECIPE FOR PROFITEROLES/CREAM PUFFS Adapted from Graces Sweet Life [...]
July 22nd, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Been looking for great profiterole (pate choux) recipes and I love the crust you have here.
I have made this before and even though I pipe them evenly, they don’t seem to bake the same way.
So my question is – if the height should be 4 cm, what about the base? Should the pate choux be pushed to form a specific diameter or just dropped and pulled to form 4 cm high?
July 22nd, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Hi Nazir, for the larger profiteroles like I have shown in the images, you should pipe the base about 4-cm (1 1/2 inches), for smaller profiteroles about 2.5 cm (1-inch). Hold the bag about 1 1/4-cm (1/2 inch) from the top of the parchment-covered baking sheet, squeeze dough out (until you reach desired diameter) and flick the bag away at the top to break the dough. Make sure to wet your finger to pat down the peaks or they will burn. Also I spritz my puffs with water immediately before popping them in the oven, this creates steam and they puff better. Let me know how it goes, I love profiteroles!
August 27th, 2012 at 1:15 am
[...] read about 20 different articles on choux pastry and ended up going with the one on “la mia vita Dolce” purely because it was the most non fuss and easiest to follow one. and it turns out, gave me [...]
September 27th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Hi There! I tried your yummy recipe and the profiteroles came out great, but I just wanted to ask how big is a “large” egg? (I am from South Africa and our “Jumbo” egg is +66g). My profiteroles tasted a little eggy, so Im thinking my eggs were a little to big! Thanks so much
September 27th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Hi Michelle, I’m so happy you enjoyed them, pastry is one of my downfalls, I could eat these all day. Our large egg is 57 grams in the shell, 50 without, 30 white only and 18 for a large yolk. I believe our extra large eggs are 63 g and our jumbo is 70 g. I’m going to assume your jumbo is 66 with the shell, I would recommend trying 3 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk the next time you prepare the profiteroles. Please let me know if this produces a better choux bun for you hopefully it won’t be quite so eggy. You’ve inspired me to write a post on eggs sizes and the variations across the globe. This sort of question came up the other day only the subject was gelatine, it too varies depending on where you live. Have a great day Michelle and thank you so much for taking the time to comment.
September 28th, 2012 at 5:02 pm
Hi Grace! Thanks so much for getting back to me and for the VERY helpful info. Yes depending on where you live there seem to be a few differences! Looks like your large egg is the equivalent to our “extra large” variety which is +/- 59g in the shell. Who knew eggs could be so complicated! I shall bake my next batch with that size instead – have 100 profiteroles to do for a function so I will definately let you know how they come out next time! I look forward to your post re the egg sizes
Thanks again!
November 5th, 2012 at 10:07 pm
Well fancy that, I go searching for a profiterole recipe and stumble upon a fellow Londoner.
I made these profiteroles today and they came out really well! It was my first time ever making profiteroles and they got eaten up in a snap (and not just by myself)
November 6th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
So happy you’ve enjoyed Gabriela, very nice to have a London visitor!