Profiteroles with hot chocolate sauce

INGREDIENTS

Choux pastry

  • 125ml milk
  • 200ml water
  • 150g plain flour
  • 1 tsp golden caster sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 100g unsalted butter
  • 4 medium eggs, lightly beaten

;

Chantilly cream

  • 1 ½ a vanilla pod, split
  • 300ml whipping cream
  • 1-2 tbsp icing sugar

Chocolate sauce

  • 200g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp clear honey
  • 125ml full fat milk

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 C/Gas 6. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Place the milk, cold water, salt, sugar into a pan and set over a low heat. Once the sugar and salt has dissolved add the butter. Once the butter has melted, bring to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat then tip in the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. As soon as the mixture starts to come away from the side of the pan, stop beating and tip onto a plate to cool.
  2. Return the mixture to the pan, then gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, mixing well between each addition, until you have a smooth paste. (Alternatively, transfer the mix to an electric mixer and gradually add the eggs while the mixer is running on a low setting).
  3. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper. Spoon the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle (about 1.5cm in diameter). Pipe a small blob of the pastry mix under each corner of the greaseproof to keep the paper in place. Now pipe about 20 walnut-sized balls onto the baking sheet, spaced well apart. Level the peaked tops with the tip of a wet finger then bake for 18-20 minutes until well risen and golden brown.
  4. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
  5. For the Chantilly cream scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into a large mixing bowl. Add the cream, and icing sugar then whisk together until the consistency of a soft meringue with floppy peaks. Spoon the cream into a clean piping bag, fitted with a small plain nozzle. Pierce the base of a choux bun with the tip of the nozzle and pipe in the cream. Repeat with the remaining choux buns.
  6. For the chocolate sauce, break the chocolate into small pieces in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat. Add the butter and honey stirring from time to time, until the chocolate begins to melt. Gradually whisk in the milk until you have a smooth sauce and warm through. Serve the cream-filled profiteroles with the hot chocolate sauce drizzled over.

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