One of Ina's mottos is, "My friends don't have more fun if I spent the day making dessert." This is a principle that I find to ring very true. Often times I will attempt complicated desserts for dinner parties and will often have to leave frequently to stir, bake, flip, etc.It is a nice thought that if it is too hard to make that it is better for others if you can prepare ahead by baking it ahead of time or buying a nice dessert at the store. As I continue my path as a baker, I would love to try to adhere to this motto and make it one of my own.
This week I was out of town for Spring break and unfortunately unable to spend any time baking in the kitchen. As I was looking online for different types of recipes, I stumbled upon to some youtube videos from her Food network show. If I had been able to cook this week, I would have attempted to make Profiteroles, a basic yet tasty French pastry that definitely falls under her motto for guest-friendly cooking. I have included the recipe below, along with a youtube clip from the time she made them on her show. Hopefully I will be able to try it soon!
Barefoot Contessa: Profiteroles
Ingredients
1 cup milk
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons prepared coffee
Good vanilla ice cream (recommended: Haagen-Dazs), for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat the milk, butter, and salt over medium heat until scalded. When the butter is melted, add the flour all at once and beat it with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and forms a dough. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2 minutes. The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan. Dump the hot mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the eggs and pulse until the eggs are incorporated into the dough and the mixture is thick.
Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe in mounds 1 1/2 inches wide and 1-inch high onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You should have about 18 puffs. With a wet finger, lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff. (You can also use 2 spoons to scoop out the mixture and shape the puffs with damp fingers.) Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned, then turn off the oven and allow them to sit for another 10 minutes, until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Make a small slit in the side of each puff to allow the steam to escape. Set aside to cool.
For the chocolate sauce, place the cream and chocolate chips in a bowl set over simmering water and stir just until the chocolate melts. Add the honey and coffee and stir until smooth. Set aside.
For serving, cut each profiterole in half crosswise, fill with a small scoop of ice cream, replace the top, and drizzle with slightly warm chocolate sauce.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/profiteroles-recipe3.html?oc=linkback