Recipe: Profiteroles

Profiteroles
Is there any better dessert. Proper profiteroles, made from choux pastry, filled with cream and smothered in warm chocolate sauce.

7 1/2 fl ozs/200ml water
3 ozs/80g butter
3 3/4 ozs/100g plain flour
3 eggs
1 egg (separated)
1 egg yolk
2 ozs/55g caster sugar
3/4 oz/20g plain flour
1/2 oz/14g cornflour
10 fl ozs/280ml milk
3 ozs/80g plain chocolate
6 ozs/170g dark 70% chocolate
10 fl ozs/280ml water
4 ozs/110g granulated sugar

Make the choux pastry. Put the water and butter in a pan and bring to the boil. Sift the flour into a bowl. Take the pan off the heat and let the bubbles subside before briskly beating in the flour to form a paste that does not stick to the sides of the pan. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then beat in the eggs one by one ensuring the paste is smooth. Put the paste into a piping bag and pipe small balls on to a baking tray. Bake in the oven at gas mark 6, 200 C for 25-30 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the baking tray and pierce with a skewer to allow any steam to escape. Whilst baking prepare the chocolate cream. Cream the egg yolks with the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flours and enough milk and mix well to form a smooth paste. Simmer remaining milk in a pan and melt the chocolate. Add egg mixture to this mixture, stirring all the time until it comes to the boil. Whisk the egg white until stiff. Add a tablespoon or two of the cream mixture to the egg white and them mix together completely with a metal spoon. Allow to cool until stiff. Make the chocolate sauce by melting the chocolate in a bowl of simmering water. Add the sugar, dissolve and simmer until it has reduced to half its quantity and has a good shine.

TO SERVE, split the choux buns and fill them with the chocolate cream. Pile high in a bowl and spoon the chocolate sauce over.