Chocolate Cognac Profiteroles With Raspberry Sauce Food

PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Simmer butter & water: Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When mostly melted, add water then bring to a rapid simmer.
• Add flour: While liquid is simmering, add flour and pinch of salt, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon (still on stove) until the dough forms sort of a ball and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan (see video). About 1 minute.
• Cool: Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 220°C/420°F (200°C fan).
• Prepare trays: Lightly grease 2 large or 3 standard baking trays with butter, then line with paper. (Grease stops paper sliding)
• Add egg into cool dough: Add 1 egg into batter, beat until combined. Add remaining eggs one at a time making sure each is combined before adding the next. Dough should be like a thick paste (see video).
• Transfer to piping bag: Place dough into a piping bag fitted with a 13 - 15mm round tip (1/2 - 3/5").
• Pipe blobs: Pipe 2 tsp blobs 5cm/2" apart (I do 16 on each tray). Makes 40 - 50 blobs.
• Pat down peak: Wet your finger with water and pat down any peaks to form domes (for nice round balls).
• Bake 2 trays at a time for 15 minutes, switching the trays halfway.
• Remove from oven, reduce heat to 180°C/35°0F (160°C fan). They should be crispy enough that when pierced, they will not collapse - if not, return to oven for 3 minutes.
• Pierce balls with knife then return to oven for 5 - 7 minutes until golden and crispy.
• Cool & fill: Transfer to rack, cool fully before filling with custard, cream or split then fill with ice cream. Drizzle with chocolate and serve!

COGNAC-RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Put the heavy cream, butter and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Put the chocolate in a heatsafe bowl, pour the hot cream mixture over it and let it sit until the chocolate is completely melted, about 10 minutes.
• Stir the chocolate-cream mixture with a whisk or rubber spatula until combined and smooth. Stir in the cognac, raspberry extract and vanilla extract, then whisk until the ganache is smooth and shiny. Transfer the ganache to a shallow container, cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the cocoa powder in a shallow dish. Scoop tablespoons of the firm ganache, roll into balls and roll the balls in the cocoa powder. Transfer the truffles to the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

PROFITEROLES WITH RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the butter in a saucepan with the salt and 3/4 cup water; bring it to a boil over medium-high heat and stir until the butter is melted. Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour; continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the eggs to the slightly cooled flour mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition - the batter will come apart after each egg is added but will reunite as you stir. Transfer the batter to a resealable plastic bag or pastry bag and make a 1/2 -inch cut in one corner. Pipe mounds about 1 inch high and 1 to 2 inches in diameter onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space between.
• Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the profiteroles from the oven and pierce the bottom of each profiterole once with a skewer, to keep them from getting soggy. Return to the oven; prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon and let the profiteroles crisp up for about 3 minutes. Cool on sheet on a rack.
• Meanwhile, put the raspberries in a food processor along with 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Purée the berries, adding a little more water through the feed tube if needed, to create a pourable drizzle. To serve, use a serrated knife to slice each profiterole in half around the equator, fill with a scoop of ice cream or sorbet, and drizzle with the raspberry purée.