Iced Vanilla Caramel Profiteroles Recipes

PROFITEROLES WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup water and butter to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; add flour and salt. Stir until mixture is smooth and pulls away from sides of pan, forming ball, about 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl. Using handheld mixer, beat in eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Cover dough loosely with plastic. Let stand until cool, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets. Spoon dough into pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 1-inch rounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Using moistened fingertips, smooth rounds. Bake until golden brown and puffed, about 23 minutes. Remove puffs from oven; turn off heat. Pierce side of each puff with tip of small knife. Return puffs to oven; let stand 10 minutes with door ajar. Remove from oven and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
• Place 1 tablespoon water in small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Bring milk, cream, and vanilla bean to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, flour, and salt in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot milk mixture; return to saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until filling thickens and boils, about 1 minute. Stir in gelatin mixture. Transfer filling to medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of filling and chill until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Spoon pastry cream filling into pastry bag fitted with 1/4-inch plain tip. Insert tip into cut on each puff and fill with cream. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
• Stir sugar and 1/3 cup water in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan. Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Whisk in butter. Remove from heat.
• Place 4 puffs on each plate. Drizzle puffs with warm caramel sauce.

PROFITEROLES WITH ICE CREAM AND CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Put the water, butter, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, to melt the butter. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together to form a ball. Place the pan over medium heat and beat constantly until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 4 minutes. Do not let it burn. A film may form on the bottom of the pan.
• Put the dough in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue to beat the dough for 4 minutes at high speed. Feel the dough: it should be sticky at first and then smooth and glossy.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and use a little bit of the dough to stick the corners of the paper down. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large tip. Pipe the dough into 2-inch balls spaced about 1-inch apart on the parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes; then rotate the tray and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue to bake for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off, leaving the door slightly open to let the profiteroles cool in the oven.
• To assemble, cut the profiteroles in 1/2 using a serrated knife. Place a scoop of ice cream on the botton 1/2 of the profiterole. Put the top on and drizzle with caramel sauce.
• Put the sugar and water in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Stir once or twice to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to high and use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to brush down any crystallized sugar that forms on the side of the pan. Let the mixture bubble and caramelize until it is amber, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk the cream in very slowly. Stir in the butter. Cool to room temperature before serving.

PROFITEROLES WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• With a rubber spatula, scoop the pate a choux into the pastry bag and pipe out approximately 16 (1 1/2-inch rounds) spaced 1 to 2 inches apart on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with the beaten egg and place in the oven. Cook until golden and puffed, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack.
• Split the profiteroles nearly in half, leaving a little hinge at the back, and cradle a small scoop of vanilla ice cream inside each. Divide the profiteroles between bowls and pour over some chocolate sauce. Serve cold.
• In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water, salt, sugar, and butter to a boil, making sure the butter is completely melted. Off the heat, add the flour all at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Return to the heat and continue beating until the dough forms a solid, smooth mass and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. Take off the heat and empty the dough into a clean mixing bowl. Little by little add the beaten eggs, beating vigorously in between each addition, until the dough forms a smooth, supple mass. Divide the dough into 2 even quantities, 1 part to be used for the profiteroles, the other for gougeres.