Iced Vanilla Caramel Profiteroles Recipes

PROFITEROLES WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• With a rubber spatula, scoop the pate a choux into the pastry bag and pipe out approximately 16 (1 1/2-inch rounds) spaced 1 to 2 inches apart on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with the beaten egg and place in the oven. Cook until golden and puffed, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack.
• Split the profiteroles nearly in half, leaving a little hinge at the back, and cradle a small scoop of vanilla ice cream inside each. Divide the profiteroles between bowls and pour over some chocolate sauce. Serve cold.
• In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water, salt, sugar, and butter to a boil, making sure the butter is completely melted. Off the heat, add the flour all at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Return to the heat and continue beating until the dough forms a solid, smooth mass and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. Take off the heat and empty the dough into a clean mixing bowl. Little by little add the beaten eggs, beating vigorously in between each addition, until the dough forms a smooth, supple mass. Divide the dough into 2 even quantities, 1 part to be used for the profiteroles, the other for gougeres.

PROFITEROLES WITH ICE CREAM AND CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Put the water, butter, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, to melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together to form a ball. Place the pan over medium heat and beat constantly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 4 minutes. Do not let it burn. A film may form on the bottom of the pan.
• Put the dough in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat the dough for 4 minutes at high speed. Feel the dough: it should be sticky at first and then smooth and glossy.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and use a little bit of the dough to stick the corners of the paper down. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large tip. Pipe the dough into 2-inch balls spaced about 1-inch apart on the parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes; then rotate the tray and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue to bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off, leaving the door slightly open to let the profiteroles cool in the oven.
• To assemble, cut the profiteroles in 1/2 using a serrated knife. Place a scoop of ice cream on the botton 1/2 of the profiterole. Put the top on and drizzle with caramel sauce.
• Put the sugar and water in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir once or twice to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to high and use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to brush down any crystallized sugar that forms on the side of the pan. Let the mixture bubble and caramelize until it is amber, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk the cream in very slowly. Stir in the butter. Cool to room temperature before serving.

ICED VANILLA & CARAMEL PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Put 150ml water, the butter and a pinch of salt into a medium pan and gently heat until the butter melts. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. As soon as it's boiling, tip in the flour in one go. Beat quickly to combine. TIP: It's important to tip the flour in as soon as the water boils, because losing too much liquid by evaporation will affect your pastry.
• The starch in the flour needs to be cooked out now. Beat well, over the heat, until the mix turns smooth and glossy and starts to come away from the edge of the pan. Tip the mix into a bowl and allow to cool a little.
• Give the mixture a quick beat, then start adding the eggs a little at a time, using a whisk, wooden spoon or electric beaters. You may not need to add all the egg - stop once the pastry is smooth and elastic and drops easily off a spoon.
• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Drop a medium nozzle into a large piping bag and scoop the pastry into it. Line two baking sheets with non-stick paper and pipe 15 x 10p-size balls of pastry onto each one. Use a wetted finger to smooth the tops. Bake for 15-20 mins until dark golden and very firm. Transfer to a rack, turn each one upside down, then leave to cool. Will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. TIP: The just-piped pastry buns have pointy tops, which can quickly burn. Tap them down gently with a wet finger before you put them in to bake.
• For the sauce, heat the sugar in a large, non-stick frying pan. Melt it gently, swirling every now and again until dissolved. Turn up the heat a little, then bubble until you have a dark golden caramel, about 5 minutes in total. Keep the pan on the heat and carefully stir in the cream to make a silky sauce. Add the Cognac and stir again. Pour into a serving jug. Can be made up to 2 days ahead - warm in the microwave for a few secs and stir to loosen.
• If making your own ice cream, place the milk and double cream in a pan. Take 1 tbsp of the sugar and add to the pan, too. Whisk the remaining sugar with the egg yolks and the seeds of the vanilla pods. Heat the milk until just boiling, then pour it onto the egg mix, whisking constantly. Tip back into the pan and heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Pour through a sieve and allow to cool. Now churn the mix in an ice-cream machine, or freeze it in a shallow container, beating thoroughly at least three times, until it is frozen and smooth. Will keep frozen for up to 1 month. Makes about 500 ml, 5 mins prep, 20 mins cooking and freezing.
• Allow the ice cream to soften slightly in the fridge for 30 mins. Scoop into a piping bag then, holding the bag with a tea towel, poke the nozzle into the bottom of one of the buns. Pipe in the ice cream until completely filled (see tips). Work as quickly as you can - you need to get the profiteroles back in the freezer before the ice cream starts to melt. Will keep well-wrapped in the freezer for up to 1 week. NOTE: Wrapping a tea towel around the piping bag insulates the ice cream from the warmth of your hands. If piping in the ice cream seems too fiddly, simply cut the buns open with a serrated knife and fill with teaspoon-size scoops of ice cream.