Special Occasions Recipes - White Chocolate Profiteroles Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 25 g/1 oz chopped hazelnuts

• 1 quantity Choux Pastry dough

• 175 ml/6 fl oz double cream

• 1 tablespoon icing sugar, sifted

• 2-3 drops of vanilla essence 

Chocolate sauce:

• 175 g/6 oz white chocolate

• 150 ml/1/4 pint water

• 125 g/4 oz sugar

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Method:

1. Toast the chopped nuts in a dry frying pan, stirring continuously, until they turn a light golden brown. Stir into the chaux pastry.

2. Put the pastry mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain 1 cm/1/2 inch nozzle; and pipe small mounds on a damp baking sheet.

3. Bake in a preheated oven, 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7, for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 190°C (375°F), Gas Mark 5 and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until golden. Make a slit in each bun and cool on a wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, make the sauce, gently melt together the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of the water in a small saucepan. Add the remaining water and the sugar and heat gently, stirring, until dissolved, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Leave to cool.

5. Next make the filling. Whip the cream in a bowl, then fold in the sugar and vanilla essence. Pipe or spoon a little into each profiterole. Pile the profiteroles on a serving dish. Pour over the chocolate sauce and serve.