Rosewater & Chocolate Profiteroles

Photo: Cat

Ingredients

Rosewater Cream:

8 fl.oz (200 ml) double or whipping cream

2 dessertspoons icing sugar

1 teaspoon rosewater

pink colouring (optional)

Profiteroles:

4 oz (110 g) plain flour

3 eggs

10 fl.oz (300 ml) water

2 ounces (55 g) butter

Real Chocolate Glaze:

3 oz (80 g) dark chocolate (70% minimum)

3 fl.oz (80 ml) single cream

2 tablespoons icing sugar

Preparation

Measure your rosewater cream ingredients into a jug or bowl, using just the half teaspoon of rosewater to start with.

Whip together to the soft peak stage. Taste the cream and adjust the rose flavour a drop at a time if needed. I had to add almost another quarter teaspoon to get the flavour right, (but bear in mind that different batches and brands of rosewater will differ in strength, so always start small to be on the safe side).

Also add the colour to your liking, if using.

Whip to your desired filling consistency then chill until ready to use.

For the profiteroles, sift the flour into a bowl.

Beat the eggs in a jug.

Into a large pan, add the water, butter and salt.

Preheat the oven to Gas 6 (200C).

Set the pan over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, take it off the heat.

Tip in all of the flour and beat with a wooden spoon. It WILL be a lumpy mess at first, but fear not, just keep going.

As the mixture comes together, put the pan back over the heat whilst still beating, until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the pan. This bit will only take around a minute.

Keep going, carefully now, until the dough just starts to create a kind of fur on the surface of the pan, then take off the heat.

Pour about a quarter of the egg onto the dough and beat until smooth again. Keep adding the egg a bit at a time until the dough holds its shape, but is still soft enough to pipe or drop from a spoon. You may not need to use all the egg because of the natural variation of flour, some is more absorbent than others. I used about three quarters of the egg mixture.

Using a large plain nozzle on a piping bag, or two spoons, pipe or drop balls of dough somewhere between walnut to golf ball sized onto a baking tray.

Bake these for twenty-five to thirty-five minutes, checking after almost twenty-five minutes. Larger ones will take longer to cook than smaller ones. When cooked through, the profiteroles will be crisp and will sound hollow when you tap them, much like you would test a loaf of bread, but on a miniature scale.

At this stage, prick each one with a needle or cocktail stick to let the steam escape and prevent them going soggy.

Note - I broke one open to test it after thirty minutes. It had sounded hollow but still appeared slightly undercooked. so I pricked all the profiteroles and gave them another two minutes which finished them nicely. When they are definitely cooked through, leave to cool completely.

When these are cool, spoon the rosewater cream into a piping bag fitted with a metal 0.75inch (1.5cm) star nozzle.

With a little twist, use the sharp tip of the nozzle to 'break in' to the profiteroles and squeeze in the cream.

When you feel it expand, this is a good time to stop.

When these are all filled, put back in the fridge to chill until the chocolate glaze is ready.

Break up the chocolate and melt with the cream in a pan over a medium heat, stirring it to help it along (do not let it boil).

Keep stirring until the chocolate had melted and the sauce is smooth.

Take off the heat and whisk in the icing sugar.

Allow to cool a little.

Pour or spread over the profiteroles and either chill until serving, or eat immediately.