Profiteroles with Coffee Flavored Crème Patisserie and Chocolate Sauce

Profiteroles (cream puffs) have never been a favorite dessert of mine. I blame it on my experiences with choux pastry when I was younger – the slightly salty flavor and texture made me wanted to vomit. Since then, I’ve grown up believing that I disliked choux pastry, and anything that was made with it. That was until I decided to make profiteroles for dessert one Christmas.

I wasn’t going to fill them with vanilla-laced sweetened cream (chantilly), nor was I going to fill it with ordinary crème patisserie (pastry cream) - I was going to use coffee flavored crème patisserie. Of course, they’d have to be served with dark chocolate sauce!

The result was delectable – the dark chocolate sauce that smothered the pile of profiteroles, complemented the light crust of the choux pastry, that enveloped the delicious pool of creamy, coffee-flavored crème patisserie. Each bite was like heaven on a spoon.


PROFITEROLES WITH COFFEE FLAVORED CRÈME PATISSERIE AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Serves 2 greedy people, makes around 12

Ingredients
For the crème patisserie

50 g (¼ c) sugar
2 large egg yolks*
2 T corn flour^ (corn starch)
1 t vanilla extract
190 ml (¾ c and 2 t) milk/milk substitute
60 ml (¼ c) ultra strong coffee, cooled
25 g (1 oz) butter

For the choux pastry
75 ml (⅓ c) water
2 T butter, diced
45 g (⅓ c) strong plain (bread) flour, sifted
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the chocolate sauce
50 g (2 oz) good quality dark (semi-sweet) chocolate, at least 70%
Knob of unsalted butter
Enough water to make a sauce

* Place the egg whites in a plastic bag/container and freeze. Simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight when needed.

Method
For the pastry cream

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, coffee, egg yolks and corn flour (corn starch).

2. In a small saucepan, mix together the vanilla and milk, do NOT heat. Stir in the yolk mix into the cold milk and whisk to incorporate.

3. Slowly heat the mixture, whisking continuously until thick. When thickened, beat in the butter. Set aside in a bowl.

4. When cooled to a warm temperature, place a piece of cling-film (plastic wrap) directly over the surface of the pastry cream and chill until needed. This will prevent a skin from forming.

For the choux pastry

5. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F. Line a baking tray (pan) with parchment and spray/sprinkle with water.

6. In a medium saucepan, place the water and butter. Gently heat until the butter melts and then bring to a rolling boil.

7. Remove the pan from the heat and add all of the flour, beating well until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.

8. Allow to cool slightly. Once slightly cool, gradually beat in the eggs to form a smooth glossy mixture.

9. Spoon the paste into a large piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (⅓ inch) plain nozzle (piping tip). Pipe around 12 small balls onto the prepared baking tray (pan), allowing enough room for them to expand during cooking. Use a wet finger to smooth out the pastry.

10. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

11. Remove from the oven and make a slit in each one for the steam to escape. Remove from the tray (pan) and cool on a wire rack.

For the chocolate sauce

12. Place the chocolate into a small microwaveable bowl. Gently heat the mixture, stirring every 15 seconds until the chocolate melts.

13. Add the butter and stir to incorporate. Add enough hot water to the mix to form a smooth sauce-like consistency.

To assemble

14. Place the crème patisserie into a small plastic bag (zip-lock bags are ideal) and cut off a small corner. Pipe the crème patisserie into each pastry ball, arrange onto a serving dish, drizzle with chocolate sauce and serve. Et voilà! Profiteroles filled with coffee flavored crème patisserie and chocolate sauce. Enjoy!