Pate a Choux: Profiteroles

Pate a choux (literally: cabbage paste), is a batter preparation that lets you make all kinds of tasty thing from eclairs to profiteroles to cheese straws. The basic technique is the same, but the differences lie in the shape, cooking method, mix-ins, and fillings. We're going to do two applications of the choux paste on A Year From Scratch, but everything after that is just a change in details.

As batters go, this is a fairly simply thing to throw together. It's not quite as fussy as muffins, certainly it's easier than the creaming method, though perhaps not by much.

Weigh/measure out your ingredients. Incidentally, this is an extra large batch because we were making more than one thing today with this batter.

Combine the butter, water, and salt,

and heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is boiling.

Dump in the flour

Stir for about five minutes

Until it forms a nice ball

You can do this next bit by hand, but I prefer to use the mixer. Mix in your eggs one at a time:

Mixing after each until thoroughly combined. Once you're done with the last egg, the mixture should be nice and glossy.

That's it for making the choux paste. If you are continuing on with profiteroles, read on. If you are making something else with the paste, it'll probably be similar, but details will differ.

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Prep your pastry bag (or zip-top bag with a hole cut out of the corner), and set up a baking sheet with some sort of non-stick system set up (either a nonstick pan, or a piece of parchment paper / silicone baking sheet, or you can lightly butter the bottom of the pan).

Fill your pastry bag

And form your puffs. You're looking at something like a 1" sphere, slightly taller than wide. You can form them by drawing a spiral, or you can place your tip next to the surface and just form a single blob.

Incidentally, if you don't have pastry tips, feel free to use a couple of spoons to make your shapes.

If you have tips sticking up at the top, wet a finger and smooth them down.

Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 25 more minutes until they look like

Take them out of the oven, poke each with a skewer to let steam escape, and let cool.

Cut in half

Add a scoop of ice cream to the bottom half, top with the top half, and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

Pate a Choux

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 4.5 oz AP Flour
• 4 Eggs

Directions

1. Heat the butter, along with the water and salt, over medium-high heat until the water boils and the butter melts.
2. Add the flour and stir until the mixture holds together and forms a ball. This should take 5 minutes, give or take.
3. In an electric mixer, or by hand if your are so inclined, add eggs one at a time and beat until each is fully incorporated.
4. Shape and bake immediately according to the final recipe.

Profiteroles

Ingredients

• Pate a Choux
• Ice Cream
• Chocolate Syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Pipe Pate a Choux onto a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat (or a lightly buttered baking sheet) in roughly 2-in by 2-in mounds.
3. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 25 minutes until they are light, fluffy, golden brown, and hollow.
4. Poke each with a skewer to let steam escape and let cool.
5. Cut in half, fill one half with ice cream, cap with other half.
6. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.