As some of you may well know, I’m a little on the quiet side. On occasions I require varying degrees of gentle coercion to prise me from the house, to be social. I always have a fabulous time when I get there, but given the choice I would almost certainly opt for a calming cup of tea and a good book.
My friend Angie, over at The Novice Gardener must have sensed this when she sent out the invitations to come along to ‘Fiesta Friday’ (an online party!) which she holds each week with inimitable style. Her somewhat subtle reminders to join in have recently been playing on my mind… so here I am, ready (with bells on!) for my first Fiesta Friday!
Funnily enough though, due to the time-zone difference between Australia and the USA, it looks like I might be partying on my own for about 16 hours, until midnight ticks over in America! Hmmm, perhaps I’ll make myself a cuppa and sit down with a good book while I wait. 😉
My sweet offering for Fiesta Friday is a rather indulgent French dessert, that needs little by way of introduction. Classic Profiteroles! The recipe I use and adore comes from the cookbook of a stunning French restaurant in New York City called Balthazar. A few years ago a friend and I had breakfast there while on a girl’s weekend in NYC and I’ve been dreaming of going back for dinner ever since!
Wishing you all a fun Fiesta Friday, a Happy Valentine’s Day and a very relaxing weekend!
Profiteroles with Dark Chocolate Sauce | Gather and Graze
- 125ml/½ Cup Whole Milk
- 125ml/½ Cup Water
- 130g/½ Cup Unsalted Butter
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 150g/1 Cup Plain Flour (sifted)
- 5 Large Free-Range Eggs
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, water, butter and salt until it just comes to the boil. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until it all comes together into a dough. Continue to stir over medium heat for about 3 minutes (being careful that nothing starts burning on the base of the saucepan).
Place the hot dough into an electric mixer and mix at low speed for a few minutes to allow the dough to cool down a little. Then one at a time, add the eggs, mixing on medium speed between each addition to ensure they’ve been incorporated well. After the last egg goes in, mix for about 4 more minutes until a smooth dough forms.
Use either a piping bag, or a soup spoon to form small puffs on the baking trays. Each should be approximately 5 cm in diameter.
Place the trays into the oven and bake for about 35 – 40 minutes or until golden brown. If you are placing 2 trays in at once, remember to swap them around at the halfway mark.
Allow the choux puffs to cool on a wire rack.
When you are ready to serve, slice each profiterole in half with a serrated knife (like a hamburger bun), place a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream on each base and place the tops back on. Drizzle with dark chocolate sauce (recipe to be found here…), decorate with berries/fruit if you wish and serve without delay.
Cooking Notes:
- If you make the choux pastry without an electric mixer, be sure to allow the hot dough from the saucepan to cool down enough in a mixing bowl before you begin to beat in the eggs. This will avoid a nasty case of scrambled egg choux puffs…
- The choux puffs can be made in advance and kept for a day or two in an airtight container. Re-crisp them a little before serving, in a 180°C oven for approx 5 minutes.
- I’ve decided to try freezing a batch to see how they fare… I’ll let you know in the next week or two if they still taste great.
* Recipe from “Balthazar” cookbook
Gather & Graze 
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I’ve just bumped into your blog because of Fiesta Friday on Angie’s blog! Nice to meet you! and congrats!
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Do these ever look tasty, Margot. Good job! Learning to make choux dough has been a goal of mine for some time. My problem is what to do with all of the profiteroles once I make them. Well, I could eat them all. I guess there are worse problems. 🙂
Thanks very much John! I hope to be able to tell you very soon that freezing the profiteroles that just won’t fit into your tummy, is the answer John! I’ll re-crisp the batch from the freezer in the next few days and let you know… Fingers crossed!
Wow, I love profiteroles…and tried to make them once. They were a disaster, but i will try again , based on your recipe. Yummy! Thanks so much.
Hi Julianna, I really do hope you try them again! My first attempt was a disaster too – scrambled egg puffs! But now it’s all too easy… 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment! Cheers, Margot
I wish I could come along and taste these! You are amazing! 🙂
Thanks Bianca, they’re a wonderful treat! 🙂
Oh my oh my! These look soo goood! Perfect for the fiesta! 😊😊 lovely fotography. So happy to have found your blog. Looking forward to more of your posts.
They really are happiness on a plate Sadia! Fun to make and always an absolute joy to eat! Thanks for joining in the Fiesta and so pleased you like what you see so far on G&G. 🙂 Cheers, Margot
Indeed these profiteroles are fit for a fiesta, Margot! Just lovely!
Thanks so much Fae! Great to be part of Angie’s Fiesta this week! 🙂
Oh my, these look delicious!
Cheers Victoria! Lovely to hear from you. 🙂
-:)
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Oh, my oh my…These look absolutely delicious! And those strawberries? Mighty impressive indeed!
Thanks very much for your lovely comment Nancy! and welcome to Gather and Graze!
I look forward to checking out your own blog over the weekend. 🙂 Cheers, Margot
Gorgeous! These would certainly make a fabulous ending to a romantic dinner!
They certainly would Mary… and I’ve seen a number of beautiful mains in the past day or two that would pair so well with them for this romantic dinner! Ours were eaten as part of a family dinner (as usual), though lovely all the same… 🙂
These look delicious! 🙂
Lovely to hear from you – thanks very much Jessica!
Wow! Margot! The profiteroles are stunning creations! And they look divine. I love all the beautiful red pops in of raspberry and poppy and strawberry in the photo too – it adds to the whole luscious and cheerful vibe.
Counting days till you do return for a visit to New York! I shall be among the people lining up wanting to spend time with you here.
Happy Valentines Day and have fun at the fiesta with Angie and the gang 🙂
Thank you Azita, I thought it was only right to try and get a little ruby-red into the shots for Valentine’s Day… plus mixing berries with chocolate always seems a good match.
When I get the chance to return to New York, I’ll definitely be letting you know in advance to arrange some time to hang out together! I would be there tomorrow if it wasn’t sooo expensive to fly across. 🙂
Amazing strawberries! I need a lesson.
I’ll sign you up for Strawberries 101 in April, when I come up to visit! xx
Sensational Margot! There is no better way to start a party than with vanilla bean ice cream profiteroles covered in chocolate sauce….
That’s what I thought too Karen! A party is not a party without profiteroles in chocolate sauce! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend.
Love your profiteroles Margot, they look perfect! Happy Love Day to you and yours! xoxo
Thanks so much Lidia! A very Happy V Day to you and yours too!
Hi everyone! I’m not a blogger – just a friend, so I hope it’s ok to join the conversation today 🙂 I could comment on yet another delicious post from Gather and Graze, but I think the sentiments already posted reflect my thoughts exactly. Therefore I might skip straight to making you all envious…I have the benefit of being able to sample the results of Margot’s passion for food when in town, and I can confirm that not only does she prepare food with much thought and great care, but it always looks lovely and tastes scrumdiddlyumptious!
Being officially middle-aged (!), with a lazy thyroid and slowing metabolism to boot, I am now much more focused on my own health and fitness, and trying to sever my husbands ties to his meat and three veg upbringing. (The three veg being mashed potato, boiled potato and roasted potato!) It is great to spend time with someone who places importance on what they prepare for themselves and their family, and has helped to inspire me to keep evolving culinarily. Thanks Margot – I look forward to sharing growing and cooking tips in the years to come. xo
P.S. Can our next fabulous weekend in NYC be in summer time? 😉
Oh Nic, getting a little teary here… such a lovely comment – thank you! The inspiration definitely goes both ways and I’m so looking forward to being in the same city once again (hopefully very soon)! Perhaps we can then start planning our next trip to NYC!? We ate pretty well on the last trip (perhaps because of the cold weather?)… so many lovely memories. It really is such an amazing city to hang out in! 🙂
Please join in the G&G conversation more often – always love to hear your thoughts/perspective on things! M.xx
Haha! I’d love to join your pre-party, but haven’t prepared my party dress yet. But see you at the Fiesta soon!
Lovely – can’t wait! 🙂
very impressive Margot – love the carved strawberries x
Thanks AJ! Hope you had a fabulous day out and about yesterday – very envious of all that you’re seeing and doing at the moment! M.xx
Oh I just love profiteroles, they look so wonderful. This is a great addition to your online party and a lovely Valentines dessert. I can’t wait until my hand is better this is in the queue most definitely.
It certainly is a great addition to the party! How about you joining us, too, Suzanne? When your hand is better, that is. Would love to have you mix and mingle with us! XOXO, Angie.
And I’m still dreaming of your soufflés Suzanne… something I will certainly be finding the courage to try making soon! The light has recently blown on our oven (which is soon to be replaced), so I might wait until I’m actually able to watch the soufflé (hopefully rise) through the glass door.
Hope you have a Happy Valentine’s Day!
Thank you, I think my oven light is operating on borrowed time. I have had my oven for 8 years and still the same bulb. Hmmm hope I didn’t jinx myself. I agree though wait til the light works so you can watch it rise!
Love your sweet little strawberry roses! I’ll remember them when summer comes and my own strawberries ripen. 🙂
Thanks Meggie! Our fruit and veg haven’t done too well through the summer over here due to the extreme heat, so unfortunately I had to buy these strawberries from the shop. They’re pretty, but lack the flavour somewhat of home-grown berries.
Ooooh Margot, I adore profiteroles but haven’t made them for ages because I don’t have much luck with choux pastry. Maybe something to revisit over the weekend.
I think you should be relaxing with a cuppa, good book and a profiterole. Or Two.
Hi Anne, I think as long as you make sure the mixture has cooled a little before adding the eggs you can’t go wrong. I also use a cookie dough scoop (seen in my post on Gougères) to shape the puffs, rather than a piping bag – I find they turn out a nicer shape that way…
I’m in the middle of a great book at the moment (Kate Grenville’s ‘The Secret River’), so will definitely be following your suggestions over the weekend! 🙂
Spring must be just around the corner for you over there – so very exciting!
Looks incredible and so perfect!
Thanks very much, they’re oh so yummy too! 🙂
Kind of dessert that I savor slowly every bite. Happy Valentine’s Day too.
Thank you. I agree with you whole-heartedly!
Talk about being fashionably early! I’ve just gobbled a large biscuit, one of ten, that I made last night for the base of a lemon cheesecake. For Fiesta Friday! At the rate I’m going I’ll be fashionably late, though. 🙂
Still haven’t made choux, one of my favourite pastries. Maybe, just maybe next week.
Oooh, another dessert for Fiesta Friday – how exciting! Now I’m starting to wish that it was a REAL party. Look forward to seeing the cheesecake tomorrow (well, your tomorrow at least… hopefully it will still be my today! If that makes sense…) 🙂
Well, well, isn’t this a nice surprise! Two of my favorite blogger buddies joining in the fun! We gonna partay! And Margot, you win! For that impressive early entrance. All eyes on you and those profiteroles. And those strawberry roses! You’ll have to do a tutorial. Never seen anything so pretty. Thanks for elevating Fiesta Friday to another level. XOXO
🙂 Just a shame my Fiesta Friday will be almost over by the time you’re getting started! Thanks for inviting us though Angie – great to come along and join in the fun this week! Can’t wait to see Johnny’s cheesecake, as well as what you and everyone else is bringing along. Cheers!
No, Margot, you can link this post tomorrow to Fiesta Friday #3. It’ll be live at 8 am EST and stay open until the following Wednesday. You can still party with us!
I’ll be sure to do that – thanks Angie! 🙂