One of the first proper meals I made when I lived alone involved choux
pastry – the type of pastry used to make profiteroles and éclairs. What was I thinking?!
I didn’t
know anything about cooking, but My Official Treat Taster had just turned up at
my door and – like me – was hungry and wanted food. We scanned over a cook book and found a
chicken and leek pie that used choux pastry. I scanned over the recipe and
thought it didn’t seem that tough – I obviously missed the great big red circle
next to the title indicating it was a difficult recipe and people who haven’t
got any right to be in the kitchen – read:
me five years ago – should not attempt it.
I remember
running off to the shops to grab the ingredients and rushing home to put it all
together. Did I mention that I was also working that night so I needed to make
this meal appear in literally seconds? Pastry in a rush never turns out well.
Unless you’re grabbing a croissant on the way to work, of course.
I don’t
actually remember eating the dish, but I know it didn’t turn out well. I must
have one of those memories that suppresses any really horrible experiences so I
don’t have an episode every time I see a a piece of chicken or a leek.
That was my
first pastry disaster. I’m not even going to mention the countless
homemade puff pastry catastrophes, but believe me, there have been many. What I
can tell you is that I can now add choux pastry onto the list of pastry I can
make. So far the list is choux and short crust. Yes, it’s a short list.
These are
really fantastic! So light, fluffy and buttery. Ditch the supermarket next time
you’re craving profiteroles and make them yourself. I did it, so I know you can!
You don’t have to stick to the traditional whipped cream filling and chocolate
ganache topping, either. Fill them and top them with whatever you like.
Profiteroles
Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup
butter
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
Whipped cream
Chocolate ganache
(Here’s
the recipe I use)
Recipe
1. Preheat the
oven to 420°F. Bring the water and butter to a
boil in a saucepan and remove from the heat. Leave to one side to cool.
2. Mix in the
flour until it forms a ball. Beat in the eggs – one at a time – mixing in
between.
3. Scoop the
mixture into a piping bag and pipe small balls onto a greased baking tray.
4. Bake for
25-30 minutes or until golden and firm. Remove from the oven and leave to cool
on a wire rack.
5. When
cooled, slice the top off each profiterole and fill with whipped cream. Return
the top so it works like a lid and drizzle on the chocolate ganache.
