Profiterole Recipe
Profiterole is a classic French dessert made of light choux pastry filled with cream and topped with rich chocolate sauce.
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Ingredients
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Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
Pastry cream filling (crème pâtissière) — alternative: whipped cream filling
Chocolate sauce (ganache-style)
Assembly / finishing
Method
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
- 1
Prepare oven and sheet
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fit a large pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tip (or use a plastic bag with corner cut).
- 2
Make choux dough
In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup water, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring to melt butter. Remove pan from heat, add 1 cup sifted flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth ball forms and the mixture pulls away from the sides (about 30 seconds). Return to medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes to dry the dough slightly (a light film forms on bottom).
- 3
Incorporate eggs
Transfer dough to a mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with paddle. Let cool 3–5 minutes (so eggs won’t scramble). Add eggs one at a time, mixing to fully incorporate each before adding the next. Final dough should be smooth, glossy and hold a soft peak when lifted with a spatula. You may not need the entire 4 eggs; use the amount required to reach correct consistency (recipe uses about 4).
- 4
Pipe and bake
Pipe 1.5-inch rounds onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart (they will expand). Smooth any peaks with a wet finger. Bake 10 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) without opening the door. Bake an additional 20–25 minutes until golden brown and puffed and shell feels dry. Do not open oven while baking the second stage. When done, poke a small hole in each profiterole with a skewer or the tip of paring knife to release steam; this helps them stay crisp. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Pastry cream filling (crème pâtissière)
- 5
- 6
Whisk yolks and dry ingredients
In a bowl whisk 4 egg yolks with 3/4 cup granulated sugar until pale and slightly thickened. Whisk in 1/4 cup cornstarch until smooth and lump-free.
- 7
Temper and thicken
Slowly pour about one-quarter of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper. Then pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan with remaining milk, whisking continuously. Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil (1–2 minutes). Boil 30 seconds while whisking to cook out starch taste; it should be thick like pudding.
- 8
Finish pastry cream
Remove from heat and whisk in 2 tbsp unsalted butter until smooth. Pour pastry cream into a shallow bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent a skin, and chill at least 2 hours until cold and set. Before filling, whisk to loosen. (If you prefer a lighter filling, fold in lightly whipped cream: whip 1 cup cold heavy cream with 2 tbsp sugar to soft peaks and fold one-third into the pastry cream to lighten, then fold remaining.)
Chocolate sauce (ganache-style)
- 9
Warm cream
Place 6 oz chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan heat 3/4 cup heavy cream until just simmering (bubbles form at edge), then pour over chocolate. Let sit 1 minute to soften the chocolate.
- 10
Assembly and finishing
- 11
Fill profiteroles
If using pastry cream: transfer chilled pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip or a piping bag with a small round tip. Insert tip into the hole poked in the bottom or side of each cooled choux and pipe filling until each is filled (you’ll feel slight resistance when full). If using whipped cream: whip 1 cup cold heavy cream with 2 tbsp sugar to soft-medium peaks and fill the puffs the same way.
- 12
- 13
Make-ahead and storage
Choux shells can be baked and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Pastry cream keeps refrigerated up to 3 days. Assemble within a few hours of serving for best texture. Leftovers should be refrigerated and eaten within 1–2 days.