Growing Chefs! Ontario Profiteroles

Profiteroles

More commonly known as cream puffs, these classic choux paste based pastries can be filled and topped in a huge variety of ways.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
Makes 24 profiteroles

Choux Paste

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup butter1/2 cup water1/2 cup milk3 eggs

For the Filling

Ingredients
2 cups milk1 teaspoon vanilla3 egg yolks1/2 cup sugar3 tablespoons cornstarch Pinch of salt4 tablespoons butter, cold
Equipment
Cutting boardChef’s knifeMeasuring cupsMeasuring spoonsBowls various sizes for ingredientsSpatulaWhiskMedium potPiping bagStand mixer with paddle attachmentFine mesh strainerTasting spoonsDish towel

Get Organized!

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium pot over medium high heat, bring the water, milk, salt and butter to a boil.

Remaining on medium high heat, add all of the flour to the water mixture and stir continuously. Continue cooking and stirring the flour mixture until the dough begins to come away from the side of the pot then remove from the heat.

Transfer the dough to a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and let mix for 45 seconds to cool slightly. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the mixture. Each egg should be fully incorporated before adding the next.

The dough should be loose enough to pipe, but still firm enough to hold its shape for baking. You may need to adjust the flour or egg content based on the moisture of the dough.

Pipe the dough into circles, roughly the size of a toonie.

Get Cooking!

Bake the piped dough for 12 – 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Lower the temperature of the oven to 350 and bake for an additional 5 – 10 minutes. The pastries should feel hollow.

For the filling, place the milk and vanilla in a medium pot. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch.

Over medium heat, bring the milk to the point just before boiling. Slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture to the eggs, then return to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, while stirring constantly.

Strain into a bowl over an ice bath, then stir in the butter. Place into the fridge until fully chilled.

Cut the tops of the profiteroles to open them up. Pipe the filling in and return the top. Decorate with chocolate or icing sugar!