Profiteroles

This is a lesson in simplicity.  As in, some things are just so simple, they seem overwhelming.  One thing I have always thought to be decadent, fancy, over-the-top gourmet is profiteroles.  Maybe it's because you usually get them at a fancy restaurant or they are such a rarity that they seem out of reach.  Had I known just how fast and easy this dessert is, I would have made them a long time ago.  If I knew that I have most of the ingredients in the fridge on a regular basis, then I might be making these every week.  If I knew that I could make a batch and them freeze them and take them out whenever I needed them, then I'd probably eat them everyday. 

The beautiful thing about profiteroles is how versatile they are.  Not only are they a blank canvas as a dessert, but they could be made into a savory appetizer.  It's just as easy to fill them with pistachio gelato and top with chocolate sauce as it is to fill them with goat cheese and top with a balsamic reduction.  Or try a vanilla pudding and top with powdered sugar or fill with cream cheese and top with pesto.  The possibilities are endless.

Now you know me and baking.  It's a temperamental thing.  Some things I bake turn out great, others feel like a math problem that I just can't solve, which is to say, pretty much any math problem.  Example: my Valentine's Day post was originally not going to be profiteroles, but molten lava cake.  It did not make it onto this blog because a blob of half cooked chocolate, while absolutely delicious, isn't camera ready.  That recipe I will have to perfect.  So believe me when I say, if I can do it, you can do it.  It's just that easy and just that delicious.

Profiteroles

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup milk
pinch of salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
filling of your liking (gelato, pudding, whipped cream, goat cheese, cream cheese, etc.)
Topping of your liking (chocolate sauce, carmel, powdered sugar, pesto, balsamic reduction ,etc.)

Preheat oven to 425.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, milk and salt (I use table salt for baking).  Off the heat, add flour all at once and with a wooden spoon, stir mixture until it comes together.  Once it comes together, put back on heat and stir for approximately 1 to 2 minutes longer or until you see a film starting to form on the bottom of the pan.  Transfer dough to a large bowl and spread out to cool mixture slightly. 

Crack one egg into the mixture.  Stir vigorously until just combined.  Continue with remaining eggs until you get a smooth paste.  Transfer paste to a pastry bag or large plastic bag with tip cut off.  On a silicon or parchment lined baking sheet, pipe mounds, about 1 1/2 inches wide.  With a damp fingertip, pat down tips of mounds so they don't burn in the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Let sit in oven for 10 minutes longer. 

(At this point you can freeze the profiteroles you do not use for use later.  When ready to use, let thaw at room temperature.  If you would like them to be warm, then put in oven at 350 for about 5 minutes or until warmed through.)

Fill with filling of choice and top with topping of choice.  In the picture above, I used salted carmel gelato and chocolate sauce.  Makes about 20 profiteroles.