Season 3 BONUS Recipe: Christmas Pudding Profiteroles – Advanced – Baking & Desserts
Season’s eatings!
As mentioned waaaayyyy back in Episode 1.01, I’ve always
loved profiteroles, so the excuse to create a new flavour for the Season 3
BONUS was too good to ignore, and thanks to my friend (CakesByChoppa) I had
some custom decorations to up the “wow” factor.
Oddly enough, I really don’t like Christmas Pudding very
much (or fruit cake, or hot-cross buns, or raisin toast, or basically ANYTHING
with currants or raisins in it) so this is my way to get some of the flavour
without reaching for the dried fruits.
PART B – CHOCOLATE CHOUX PASTRY
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
100g butter
⅔ cup Grade 00 white flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp icing sugar
4 large eggs from the fridge
Essentially the same recipe as for my plan Choux Pastry,
but with some of the flour removed to make space for the cocoa and sugar.
Even with the sugar this isn’t exactly a sweet pastry,
but it helps to take the bitter edge off the cocoa.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C (approx. 390°F) and line some
trays with baking paper.
2. In a medium-sized pot, heat the water and butter until
simmering, then turn down to a medium-low heat and leave for a minute or two.
(Please make sure you don’t use a small pot as you may have a difficult time
when it comes to adding the flour and mixing.)
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa and sugar and add to
the pot, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon until it is all incorporated and
the batter forms a ball that does not stick to the edges of the pot.
4. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.
5. Whisk the eggs together in a jug to break up the yolks
then beat the eggs into the batter a bit at a time until fully incorporated. (As
previously, I add approx. ¼ of the egg at a time. Per the comments on the
original Choux Pastry, as soon as you add the eggs and start mixing, the batter
will immediately split. KEEP MIXING! Eventually it will come back together
again.)
6. Transfer the batter into a piping bag and pipe mixture
into balls on the prepared trays, ensuring to leave enough space between for
them to inflate as they bake.
8. Bake for 25-35 mins or until puffed and make a hollow
sound when tapped. (If you have piped them smaller, this may only take 20 mins
or less, whereas if you piped them bigger, this could take 40 mins or more.)
9. Turn the oven off, but leave the profiteroles inside
for another 15-20 minutes with the door slightly ajar.
10. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then they’re
ready to be filled!
PART B – SPICED ORANGE CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE
Ingredients:
3 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla paste/extract/essence
6 large egg yolks at room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup cornflour/cornstarch
½ tbsp mixed spice
Zest of 1 orange
Once again, just a slight twist on the original Crème Pâtissière
from Episode 1.01.
I have swapped the caster sugar for brown sugar, which is
unusual for custards, etc. but it gives a more malty flavour which just
enhances the Christmas feel of the profiteroles.
Mixed spice is a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice,
cloves and even coriander in any number of quantities and variations. If you can’t
get mixed spice, ideally you’ll just want cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, which
seem to me to be the most Christmas-like spices.
Method:
1. Add milk, zest, vanilla and spice into a largish pot
and bring to a simmer over medium heat. (NOTE:
You will need a pot big enough to mix all of the ingredients in later.)
2. While the milk is heating, whisk the egg yolks and
sugar in a large jug until combined, then add the cornflour and continue to
whisk until pale and thick. (Once again, the jug/bowl needs to be large enough
to mix all of the ingredients in.)
3. Once the milk has just started to bubble, remove the
pot from the heat and pour carefully into the egg mixture while whisking
constantly.
4. Continue to whisk together for a further 5-10 seconds
to ensure it is combined, then pour the custard mixture back into the pot and
return to the heat.
5. Whisking over a medium-low heat until the desired
consistency is reached, then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool.
(TIP: Place a sheet of cling film
directly onto the surface of the crème pâtissière, this will stop it from
forming a skin.)
6. Once cooled, place it into the fridge to chill, and
then it is ready to be used as a filling!
PART C – WHITE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
Ingredients:
200g white chocolate
¼ cup icing sugar
2 tbsp glucose syrup
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp water
This is just a fairly basic glaze, but it seems to
complete these profiteroles in the best possible way.
Even if you’re not a fan of white chocolate, I suggest
that you make this anyway. (It’s THAT crucial to the recipe!)
Besides, it’s really simple.
Method:
1. Place all ingredients into a saucepan over medium-low
heat.
2. Stir together gently until all the ingredients are
melted together and smooth. (White chocolate just LOVES to separate, but if you
mix enough it should turn out okay.)
3. Remove from the heat and place aside to cool. (DO NOT
CHILL. It may firm up completely, which means you won’t be able to pipe it onto
your profiteroles.
PART D – ASSEMBLING THE PROFITEROLES
For those who don’t already know.
Method:
1. Using a chopstick (or a skewer, or something similar) pierce the
pastry shell to allow the piping nozzle inside. (I fill from the top of the
pastry case and seal by dipping into chocolate or toffee – or in this case,
glaze.)
2. Transfer the chilled crème pâtissière into a piping
bag with a small nozzle. (You may need to give it a quick mix first to ensure
it is smooth.)
3. Pipe the filling into the holes you made with the
chopstick/skewer.
4. Transfer the white chocolate glaze into another piping
back and pipe a generous amount onto each profiterole, covering the hole you
made.
5. You can serve these like this, but if you’re able to
get some sort of edible Christmas decoration to put on top, DO IT! If you’re
interested in making your own, please check out the CakesByChoppa channel for
some tips.
Makes anywhere from 10-35, depending on how big you’ve piped
them.
***Well, that's it for Season 3. I wish you all a HAPPY HOLIDAYS! and I will be back on 29th January 2016 with my new season where YOU DECIDE what I cook! Please keep an eye out for any updates during this time. You can also message or email me if you have a dish you'd like me to make!***
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