Donato de Santis's Recipe: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Irresistible Profiteroles with Pastry Cream

If you love desserts, you probably have heard of profiteroles, those delicious balls of choux pastry filled with cream and topped with chocolate sauce. They are a classic French treat that can be found in many bakeries and restaurants around the world. But did you know that you can make them at home with just a few ingredients and some simple steps? In this blog post, I will show you how to make profiteroles with pastry cream, following the recipe of Donato de Santis, a famous Italian chef and pastry expert. Donato de Santis is known for his passion for baking and his creative use of flavors and textures. He has written several books on pastry and desserts, and he hosts a popular TV show in Italy where he teaches viewers how to make mouthwatering sweets. His recipe for profiteroles with pastry cream is one of his signature dishes, and it is easy to see why. The choux pastry is light and airy, the pastry cream is rich and smooth, and the chocolate sauce is decadent and glossy. The combination of these three elements is irresistible, and it will make you feel like you are in a Parisian café.

To make profiteroles with pastry cream, you will need the following ingredients:

For the choux pastry:

250 ml of water
100 g of butter
A pinch of salt
150 g of all-purpose flour
4 eggs

For the pastry cream:

500 ml of milk
100 g of sugar
4 egg yolks
40 g of cornstarch
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

For the chocolate sauce:

200 g of dark chocolate
100 ml of heavy cream

To make the choux pastry, follow these steps:

Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms.
Cook the dough for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball.
Transfer the dough to a large bowl and let it cool slightly.
Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle.
Pipe small mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between them.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden and puffed up.
Turn off the oven and leave the profiteroles inside for another 10 minutes to dry out.
Transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

To make the pastry cream, follow these steps:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the milk to a simmer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla extract until smooth and pale.
Gradually whisk in some of the hot milk into the egg mixture to temper it.
Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Refrigerate until chilled.

To make the chocolate sauce, follow these steps:

Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place them in a heatproof bowl.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes without stirring.
Whisk gently until smooth and shiny.

To assemble the profiteroles, follow these steps:

Cut each profiterole in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
Transfer the pastry cream to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle.
Pipe some pastry cream onto the bottom half of each profiterole and cover with the top half.
Arrange the profiteroles on a large platter or individual plates.
Drizzle some chocolate sauce over them or serve it on the side.

Enjoy your profiteroles with pastry cream! They are best eaten on the same day they are made, but you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. You can also freeze them for up to a month and thaw them at room temperature before serving. Bon appétit!

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Elsie

I'm Elsie, a versatile creative soul - Blogger, Author, Motivational Speaker, Female Guitarist, and a web Developer. Join me on a journey where I share my insights, inspire positivity, and add a musical twist to life's adventures. Dive into a world of lifestyle, inspiration, and harmony, all from my unique perspective. Follow me on my Social Channels below!