Saturday 20 November 2010

A classic chocolate pud


There's no point messing with the classics. Well maybe just a little.

Chocolate profiteroles with vanilla chestnut cream

Makes about 3 dozen

~for the pastry
65g plain flour, sieved
50g butter
150ml water
2 medium eggs

~for the chantilly cream filling
150ml double cream
½ tsp vanilla extract (or the seeds from one vanilla pod)
1 tbsp icing sugar

~for the vanilla chestnut cream filling
220g unsweetened chestnut puree
4 tbsp whole milk or cream
3 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp melted dark chocolate

~for the chocolate sauce
100g dark chocolate
2 tbsp water

1) First make the choux pastry: heat the butter and water in a large pan to boiling point. Remove from the heat and, using an electric hand whisk, combine all the flour into the liquid. When smooth, whisk in the eggs one by one, until you have a creamy, glossy and rather thick batter. Place teaspoonfuls onto dampened greaseproof paper laid out on baking sheets, leaving plenty of room between each one. Bake for 15-17 minutes at 425f/220c/gas mark 7, until golden and risen then remove from the oven and poke a small hole in each profiterole to let out the steam. Return to the oven at 375f/190c/gas mark 5 for another 5 minutes, then set aside to cool.

2) For the chestnut cream, whisk the chestnut puree, milk, chocolate, sugar and vanilla together, then push through a fine sieve to remove any lumps and spoon into a piping bag. Now whisk the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla together for the chantilly cream until it reaches soft, floppy peaks, then spoon into another piping bag.

3) Just before serving the profiteroles, melt the chocolate and water over a bain marie, and pipe each choux pastry with half cream and half chestnut puree. Serve with a thick dousing of the rich chocolate sauce.

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