Makes about 30
For the dough
milk 120ml
water 120ml
unsalted butter 110g, softened, cut into small pieces
salt 1 level tsp
plain white flour 140g, sifted
eggs 5
For the custard filling
milk 1 litre
vanilla pod ½
egg yolks 6
caster sugar 100g
flour 20g
cornflour 20g
double cream 200ml
vanilla ice-cream to serve
For the chocolate sauce
dark chocolate 70-75% 300g
double cream 280ml
Preheat the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7 and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
To make the dough, put the milk, water, butter and salt in a pan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Add the flour and stir gently until a mass forms, then beat until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat on to a trivet. Beat the dough for a minute or so until the steam subsides.
Crack the eggs into another bowl and whisk together lightly. When the dough in the pan is tepid, add in a little egg and beat well until thoroughly mixed in. Continue thus until all the egg is incorporated and the dough is made.
Scrape the dough into a tub for which you have a lid, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This just makes spooning or piping the dough that bit easier.
When sufficiently chilled, spoon little rounds on to your prepared baking tray, a few centimetres apart so they may puff well. Put the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 160C fan/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 15-20 minutes. The profiteroles should be golden brown all over and as light as air. When cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
To make the custard filling, pour the milk into a pan, then cut the vanilla pod down the middle and scrape out the seeds into the milk. Bring this to a simmer over a gentle heat.
In another bowl, with an electric beater, mix the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and voluminous. Reduce the speed of the beater and add in the flours. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk, and pour the latter in a gentle, steady stream into the egg mixture, stirring all the while. Pour it all back into the pan and return to the heat, stirring until the custard thickens. Lower the heat and beat for a minute until the custard is smooth. Remove from the heat and tip into a bowl. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and pierce lightly all over to allow steam to escape. When cooled, put in the fridge.
In another bowl, whip the double cream, then fold into the cold custard until smooth. Return to the fridge while you prepare the rest.
For the chocolate sauce, break the chocolate into small pieces. Put the cream in a pan and heat until simmering, then tip in the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Set it aside, keeping it warm so it doesn’t harden.
To assemble, split each profiterole and fill with a spoonful of custard and a small scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Put the lids atop the profiteroles. Heap them in a bowl or on a large serving plate, spoon all over with the warm chocolate sauce and serve swiftly.
Jeremy Lee is chef/co-owner of Quo Vadis, London W1, and author of Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many (HarperCollins, £30)
