Ingredients for choux paste:
150ml water
Pinch of salt & sugar
50g butter
65g strong flour
2 eggs
Ingredients for filling
600ml/ 1 pint double cream (whipped)
For the chocolate:
100ml/3½fl oz water
80g/3oz castor sugar
200g/7oz good-quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
Method:
Preheat your oven to 220C and place a tray of water in the bottom. (Bain Marie)
1. Bring your water to the boil, add your sugar, salt and butter. Stir well.
2. Once butter has melted into the water and other ingredients dissolve remove from the heat.
3. Add your sifted flour and mix with a wooden spoon.
4. Return your pan to the heat and stir continuously until your mixture leaves the sides. (Creating a roux)
5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before adding your beaten eggs as this will only scramble them almost instantly if they come into contact with a hot mixture.
6. Once cooled slowly begin adding your eggs and mix well.
Your mixture should now be of dropping consistency.
7. Transfer into a piping bag. Your choux paste should hold within the bag without leaking.
8. Lightly grease baking paper and place onto a baking tray to accommodate the amount of choux paste balls you are baking.
9. Pipe small balls onto the baking paper roughly the size of 1/2 a walnut.
10. Bake at 220C for about 30 minutes. Once risen remove from the oven and pierce a hole in the bottom of each pastry case and place back into the oven for a few minutes no longer than 5. But keep an eye they do not burn.
11. Once done leave on a cooling rack till completely cold.
Method for topping and filling:
Lightly whip up your cream until soft peaks form. Use a piping bag to fill the choux cases.
For your chocolate sauce, add the water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and put your chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set over the pan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Take the pan off the heat, pour the syrup mixture into the chocolate and stir until smooth and well combined.
To serve put your stuffed profiteroles into a large dish and dizzle over your chocolate sauce. Serve either hot or cold.
