Chocolate Profiteroles

Here's a great project to tackle this weekend with your child; make yummy chocolate profiteroles stuffed with ice cream, then drizzle with caramel and hot chocolate sauce. It's a fun activity with many little steps for a child to participate in, no matter their age.Introducing children to the joys of cooking is a fun way to help them develop a lifelong skill set that promotes healthy self reliance, confidence and a better diet. When picking projects be sure to pick fun things that will hold their attention. Start with easy recipes to engage them before moving on to more complicated ones. I wanted to introduce my son Beau to cooking at a young age, and was always on the look out for fun things to try with him. The first major project we learned together was a bulletproof yogurt coffee cake from the book 'Bringing up Bebe' that he mastered by age four. Here is the step by step recipe. Our next projects centered around pasta and gnocchi, partially because they were very quick to make and mostly because both of us love to eat pasta. I taught him how to make ricotta cavatelli, classic gnocchi, how to hand roll pici and even the more complicated sounding goat cheese raviolis with artichokes.This weekend we made chocolate profiteroles that had far more steps involved than anything we had tried previously. It's a bit like giving your child a 500 piece Lego set as opposed to the smaller 80 piece ones. Each step can be done independently of the other, but when you put them together you end up with a beautiful completed project.For a more indepth article on cooking with children, complete with a guide of tasks to introduce young children to click here.Give this recipe a try and I guarantee your whole family will love the results! Tag us at #PistouAndPastis; we love seeing you introduce your children to the wonderful world of cooking![gallery size="large" ids="7300,7301,7302"]

Chocolate Profiteroles

Profiteroles filled with Turkish Coffee Ice Cream then drizzled with hot Chocolate Sauce and Goat Milk Caramel

pâte à choux, choux paste

• 1 cup water
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter (4 oz)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 egg beaten (for egg wash)

chocolate sauce

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup sugar

other ingredients

• 1 quart Turkish coffee ice cream (or whatever flavor you like)
• 1 jar goat milk caramel

pâte à choux

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with silpat or buttered parchment paper.

2. Place the water, sea salt and butter in a stainless steel pot, and bring to a rapid boil. Watch out, using aluminum will discolor the final product.

3. Using a wooden spoon, stir in all the flour at once, and keep stirring till well incorporated.

4. Continue cooking till dough dries out slightly, about one minute longer. If you have too much excess moisture your puffs will collapse.

5. Let dough rest five minutes to cool down a little bit. Add eggs one by one, incorporating each one completely before adding the next. You can a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, food processor or get a work out and do by hand.

6. Put dough into a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain tip and pipe little golf ball sized puffs.

7. Brush lightly with egg wash, then bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

8. Turn the oven down to 350, and continue baking for another 20 minutes, or until dry. 

chocolate sauce

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a pot, then bring to a boil.

2. Simmer for five minutes until it reduces down to sauce consistency, check by dipping a wooden spoon in then running your finger through - if it leaves a track then it is sauce consistency.

3. Season with a pinch of sea salt for extra flavor.

final assembly of the dish

1. Cut profiteroles in half and fill with a scoop of ice cream.

2. Arrange in a pyramid shape on a large serving platter.

3. Drizzle with first with chocolate sauce then goat milk caramel.

This is a great dish to make with your child. The prospect of the finished product is usually enough to keep them engaged. Try giving them easy jobs like measuring and stirring to help your child feel part of the project.

Goat milk caramel or Cajeta is readily available in nicer grocery stores and farmers markets across the country. If you have access to fresh goat milk you can make at home.

Recipe Bonus: Take choux paste and add a few ounces of shredded cheese. Makes for a simple, elegant hor d'oeuvres!