Profiteroles with Hot Chocolate Sauce

15 minutes - 20 minutes

Serves 6-8 (makes about 30). Scroll to the bottom of the page to see questions Lindsey has answered on this recipe

This recipe is from The Delia Collection: Chocolate.

Profiteroles – little choux buns filled with cream and covered in a chocolate sauce – make a rather special ending to a dinner party.

The Delia Online Cookery School: Fond of chocolate? Why not take a look at our Chocolate Cakes video, just press the recipe image to play.

Got a question on Delia's recipes? Ask Lindsey

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Getting ahead with Profiteroles

Asked by: Simon01

Hi Lindsey. Could I make Delia's profiteroles ahead either cooked (but not filled) or make the batter and store in the fridge to cook when required. Thanks. Eileen

Answered by Lindsey: Hello Eileen, When I make them ahead I bake and freeze them as soon as they’re cold, then pop them in a hot oven for 4 – 5 minutes to crisp them before I use them, with just enough time to cool and fill before I serve. Or if you make them the day before and store in an airtight container you can pop them in a hot oven for a couple of minutes. Best wishes Lindsey

Crisp Profiteroles

Asked by: Wendy

Hello Lindsey I hope all is well with you and yours. This question is after the event, so a bit too late to do anything. I made some profiteroles on Saturday for use yesterday. I stored them in an airtight tin but they were so limp by the time I needed them. Is there anything that could have been done to rescue them or crisp them up in anyway? As a bit more help to you I had to use plain flour when strong flour was recommended; I was using two baking sheets so changed them round half way; they were very golden, in fact, the edge of one or two were slightly burnt. Could either of those things had an effect? Best wishes Wendy x My guests ate them and declared them still very good.

Answered by Lindsey: Hi Wendy, We’re all good thank you and hope you are too. Softening choux is very common, perhaps inevitable! Strong flour does help but isn’t essential. It sounds like you cooked them enough and presumably you released the steam and crisped them too and that they were cool before you stored them. Really the issue is that they don’t stay crisp for long. When I make them ahead I freeze them as soon as they’re cold, then pop them in a hot oven for 4 – 5 minutes to crisp them before I use them, with just enough time to cool and fill before I serve. Or if you make them the day before and store in an airtight container you can pop them in a hot oven for a couple of minutes. Best wishes Lindsey x

Method

First of all, as you are going to need to 'shoot' the flour quickly into the water and melted butter, cut out a square of baking parchment and fold to make a crease, then open it out again.

Sift the flour straight on to the square of parchment and add the sugar. Next, put 5 fl oz (150 ml) of cold water into a medium saucepan, together with the pieces of butter, then place the saucepan over a moderate heat and stir with a wooden spoon. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture comes up to the boil, turn off the heat immediately, as too much boiling will evaporate some of the water. Then tip in the flour – all in one go – with one hand, while you beat the mixture vigorously with the other. You can do this with a wooden spoon, although an electric hand whisk will save you lots of energy.

Beat until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean – this will probably take less than a minute. Then beat in the beaten eggs – a little at a time, mixing in each addition thoroughly before adding the next – until you have a smooth, glossy paste. At this stage, hold the greased baking sheet under cold running water for a few seconds, and tap it sharply to get rid of excess moisture. This will help create a steamier atmosphere, which in turn helps the pastry to rise.

To make the profiteroles, place teaspoonfuls of choux paste on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch (2.5 cm) between them, and bake on a high shelf in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. After that, increase the heat to gas mark 7, 425ºF (220ºC) and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the buns are crisp, light and a rich golden colour. Pierce the side of each one to let out the steam, then return them to the oven for a couple of minutes to crisp up, then cool them on a wire rack.

To make the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolate, together with 4 fl oz (120 ml) water, in a heatproof basin fitted over a saucepan of simmering water (being careful that the base of the bowl does not touch the water), stirring until you have a smooth sauce. Just before serving, split the choux buns in half, fill each one with a generous teaspoonful of whipped cream, then join the halves together again. Spoon or pour the melted chocolate over them and serve immediately.

Note: Don't be tempted to put the cream in the profiteroles too far in advance because this tends to make them soggy.