Profiterole Filled with Whipped Cream and Custard and Served with Hot Chocolate Sauce

Profiterole

• 1 cup milk

• 1 stick soft butter

• ½ tablespoon sugar

• 1 cup sifted flour

• 4 eggs

• ⅓ cup blanched slivered almonds (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Put the milk, butter, and sugar in a saucepan and let mixture come to a boil. Add the flour bit by bit until the batter is well mixed and smooth.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is again smooth

4. Using a small rounded spoon, drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, forming a 9” circular or 10” oval ring about 1” across and 1” high. (There will be enough batter left over to make 5 to 6 individual puffs.) The dough can also be piped onto the sheet with a cookie press. If you like the crunchiness of nuts, the ring can be sprinkled with slivered almonds.

5. Place in a 425°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. To prevent the ring from collapsing, do not open the oven door for 25 minutes.

6. Remove the ring from the baking sheet and place it on a wire rack to cool. A half hour before serving, cut through the profiterole with a serrated bread knife, lay the top aside, and remove any moist dough from the center.

7. Fill the ring with the whipped cream into which you have folded ½ cup of custard sauce. Replace the top. Serve the profiterole with rich chocolate sauce.

Whipped Cream for Filling

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Sugar to taste

1. Whip the cream, sweeten to taste, and flavor with vanilla extract.

Custard Sauce (Pastry Cream)

• 1 cup milk

• ⅓ cup fine granulated sugar

• ½ vanilla bean

• 2 whole eggs plus 1 yolk

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or brandy

1. Scald the milk with the vanilla bean and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Beat the eggs and mix in cornstarch well.

3. Remove the vanilla bean from the hot milk mixture, and slowly pour the milk into the blended eggs and cornstarch. Mix well and place in a double boiler over water that is barely simmering or over very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring all the while. Strain the sauce and cool.

4. When cool, flavor with vanilla extract or brandy.

Chocolate Sauce

• 1 cup light cream

• ⅔ cup extra-fine sugar

• 3 squares bitter chocolate

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt the chocolate over hot water. Stir in the sugar. Scald the cream in a separate saucepan and stir into the chocolate-sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce simmer, stirring often. Cook until it is smooth and thick. Remove the pan from the burner, and when the sauce has cooled, add the vanilla flavoring.