The sweetest puff of all
Cream puffs are one of those desserts that can appear either super posh or as everyman’s fare, depending on how you dress them. Filled with a simple vanilla pastry cream and dusted with a little icing sugar, they are delightful sweets that are easily held in the hand and devoured in a few quick bites. To turn them into something breathtaking, they can be dipped in caramel to build a towering croquembouche, decorated with swirls of spun sugar till it shines with a golden hue like a beacon from afar.
The basics of these sweet bites are the same - choux pastry either spooned or piped into rounds are then baked, which allows a pocket of steam to build up inside their firm exterior. Baked till they are firm enough to hold their form once the steam is removed, the hollow can carry almost any sweet or savoury filling, though typically they are served with some pastry cream, custard or chantilly cream.
My family do love their desserts, but they’re not huge fans of overly sweet or extravagent sweets, so things like these profiteroles are what bring the most amount of joy to everyone, and watching their faces light up when I present these surprise bundles feels almost like it’s Christmas, and I’m Santa Claus!
Having simple sweets is fine by me, but sometimes I want something a bit fancier, so my favourite way to enjoy these treats is with a drizzle of a gorgeous chocolate sauce (recipe to come up later this week!), which I think does wonders to provide a flavour contrast to the sweet, vanilla flavoured custard inside the puffs. Either which way, these golden little balls make for a marvellous sweet snack or dessert, and their sheer versatility makes choux pastry/profiteroles a recipe that I think every home cook should have and know 
(Sorry this is a bit of a short entry, folks, but I have a research project that I need to work on so my time is a bit limited! Nonetheless, on to the recipe!)
Profiteroles with vanilla pastry cream
(makes about 25 - 30 large, or 50-60 small)
Pâte A Choux ingredients
125g all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk
113g unsalted butter
Half tsp salt
4 large eggs
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Place the water, milk, butter and salt in a medium-sized saucepan, and on medium heat bring the liquid to a rolling boil.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately add all the flour, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon till combined and the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
3. Place the pan back on the heat and continue to cook for another minute, to help remove excess moisture from the dough. Leave the dough to cool for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (you need the dough to be cooler before adding the eggs otherwise they will solidify and cook).
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition (you can do this with a wooden spoon if you are like me and don’t have a mixer. It just needs a bit of arm-power!). Continue beating/mixing till the dough is smooth and shiny, then pipe/spoon into forms on lined baking trays.
5. Place into oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 180 degrees C and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or till golden and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack, then pierce a hole into each profiterole to allow the steam to escape (if you don’t do this then the steam will be absorbed by the choux pastry and they’ll become soggy), then set aside till completely cool.
6. Pipe crème pâtissière (pastry cream), custard or crème Chantilly into the hollows of each then serve as desired
Crème Pâtissière ingredients (from The Cook’s Book)
250mL full-fat milk
22.5g corn starch
65g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
3 egg yolks
25g butter, at room temperature and cut into walnut-sized cubes
1. Whisk together the milk, corn starch, vanilla paste and 30g of sugar in a heavy-based pan. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, whisking continuously.
2. Once the milk mixture has reached a rolling boil, remove from the heat. Whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 35g of sugar, then slowly pour in the milk in a thin stream, whisking continously. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and bring just to a boil, whisking constantly, then immediately remove from the heat.
3. Stand the pan in a shallow bowl filled with ice and leave to cool to about 60 degrees C. Once cooled, add the pieces of butter and whisk briskly till they have melted and the sauce is smooth and shiny.
4. Remove from the pan and place in a non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic is good), cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate till needed.
This crème pâtissière can be flavoured with a variety of flavours if you want to try something different:
- Chocolate: Add 125g finely grated plain chocolate to the warm sauce in 3 batches, stir till smooth.
- Coffee: Dissolve 2.5g instant coffee in 1tsp hot water, then add 2 drops espresso. Add to the warm cream and stir till smooth.
TIP:
For a lighter treat, cut half the crème pâtissière with freshly whipped cream when it is cool and thickened but before it sets. It lightens the dessert and makes it a perfect pairing for fresh fruit such as strawberries!
Technorati Tags: choux pastry, profiteroles, pastry cream, crème pâtissière, custard, dessert, sweets, pastry
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Comments
Ivonne Well I can’t argue with anything in this post, Elle! Cream Puffs do take the cake (pardon the pun).
Your profiteroles are gorgeous!
ilingc i loveee profiteroles! just never got around to attempting it. The best way to indulge in them is as you say with chocolate sauce. mmm…
Deborah Dowd I’ve always wanted to try these but have never had the guts, but after your pictures and description, I think I am ready to do this on my own.
mel I LOVE profiteroles too! Chocolate sauce is such a wonderful idea to compliment the pastry and vanilla custard. I was actually at a 21st some months ago where they served croquembouche as the birthday cake. Given that most people were drunk at the time, I took advantage of my sobriety to position myself next to the towering pastry art. As for right now, my baking prowess is definitely not up to speed as to attempt something like this, but I do enjoy when more experienced bakers such as yourself posts beautiful pictures for me to drool over!
truffle Oh what a well timed post! I am planning to do a croquembouche for a birthday party soon and this post gave me some much needed inspiration!
kate hey i just love these with vanilla pastry cream.In Hk they have this store on the MTR stations called Bearded Pappa.they serve these there fresh from the oven with chilled vanilla crea…ooh to die for.Actually u just made me want to go buy some.They even have these dipped in chocolate and probably many more variations but i still havent gotten past these two !
Cheryl I haven’t made these in years. Oh they are so pretty and look so light and fluffy. Yum.
Lisa I’m drooling. I can’t stop drooling. My co-workers MUST think I’ve got rabies. I really think you need to stop posting all of these wonderful desserts you’ve been posting late. It’s that or move closer to me!
xoxo
gilly Hi Ellie! Beautiful cream puffs! I love the shot of them in the glass! These beauties embrace all of the best aspects of dessert - delicious choux, lovely pastry cream, and lucious chocolate!
Chris 
Love these! Cream puff are one food with which I don’t know how to press the stop eating button. Yum!!
Callipygia I too was seriously considering making these for my “birthday cake” this year… and looking at these lovely vanilla bean flecked, cream stuffed beauties- sigh-
Steamy Kitchen recipe = 25 large
licking bowl (-1)
cook’s nibbles (-3)
oops, another cook’s treat (-1)
——————–
net = 20 large
Susan from Food "Blogga" Hey, Santa! I’ve been a good girl, so may I please have some of these? They’re like little clouds of heaven, Ellie!
Ellie Woah, this is what happens when one neglects to check her food blog! Thanks for the comments folks, I’m glad you like these little morsels 
Helen Cute story: back in the days…during exam season, a bunch of friends and I would reant a house for a weekend in the country and cram, review, write…and share good food, good wines and I was always asked to make profiteroles for dessert, filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with hot chocolate…!
Point is: this is super food for the brain!
Good luck!
Ellie Helen - Oooo, brain food! I like the idea of calling them this, means I feel less guilty about popping another into my mouth 
I like the sound of your exam study method, that would be a great way to do it!
Short…but oh so wonderful! My dad used to make these all the time when I was growing up. All the time was at least once a month it seemed like.
So good.