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Profiteroles for Julia Child

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profiterole recipeOne of my most favorite places on Earth is Julia’s kitchen at the Smithsonian. I adore Julia Child and feel inspired every time I go visit the place where she made food fun and accessible for everyone. Julia was a pioneer, she came into our homes and showed us not to take cooking so seriously. I am a little young for The French Chef, but have many memories of watching Baking with Julia and Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home on Saturday mornings with my mom. I have been reading a book called Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, and have fallen even more in love with her. In some ways, I can see bits of myself in Julia. She had a hard time finding her way and I have often felt that I lacked direction during periods of my life. But for both of us, it was food that helped us find our way. On Wednesday, Julia Child would have been 100 years old. Happy Birthday Julia. You have no idea how you have impacted my life and the lives of so many others.

profiterole recipeI was sent this sweet book called, Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child. I came into the bedroom to find Ava engrossed in this book. The art work is whimsical and tells the sweet story of Julia’s life. A perfect book for the young chefs in your life. Or the grown ups. I have read it a few times myself and always find something new and interesting that I missed the last time.

To celebrate Julia’s extraordinary life, PBS has asked that we cook a Julia recipe and share it on Twitter using the hashtag #CookforJulia. Take a picture and share it on the #CookforJulia Facebook page. As much as I love Boeuf Bourguignon, I knew that if I was going to celebrate Julia’s life, I needed to make profiteroles. When I figured out how to take 6 simple ingredients and end up with cream puffs, it was the first time that I really felt like I could cook anything. When you learn how to make the very simple pâte Á  choux, you can make so many things with it. Sweet and savory. I filled mine with whipped cream and poured chocolate sauce over. Some like to fill theirs with ice cream, but I love to use whipped cream. I have made these so many times, and in so many ways, and every time I think of Julia. I am so thankful that she wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking, it gave me the confidence to make a fancy French dessert and from there, anything that I wanted.

profiterole recipe1 cup water
6 Tablespoons butter
pinch salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup flour
4 eggs
whipped cream
chocolate sauce

profiterole recipePut the water, butter, salt, and sugar in a saucepan.

profiterole recipeBring to a boil.

profiterole recipeTake the saucepan off of the heat. Add the flour.

profiterole recipeBeat until everything comes together. Put back on the heat and beat vigorously until everything is off the sides of the pan. The dough will lump together and there will be a film on the bottom of the pan.

profiterole recipePut the mixture into the bowl of a mixer or a large bowl.

profiterole recipeBeat until it breaks up a little.

profiterole recipeAdd eggs one at a time.

profiterole recipeIt might seem like it is not going to come back together, but keep mixing, it will.

profiterole recipeTransfer the batter into a piping bag.

profiterole recipeLine a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe drops onto the baking sheet. Moisten your finger with water to smooth out the peaks. You can brush them with egg wash if you are so inclined so they are shiny when they are baked.

profiterole recipeBake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. They will be golden brown and puffed.

profiterole recipeSlice the puffs in half and fill with whipped cream or ice cream.

profiterole recipePour chocolate sauce over. Bon Appetit!

Profiteroles

Profiteroles

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Homemade Profiteroles - Choux paste turns into glorious cream ouffs filled with cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 4 eggs
  • whipped cream
  • chocolate sauce

Instructions

  1. Put the water, butter, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Take the saucepan off of the heat. Add the flour. Beat until everything comes together. Put back on the heat and beat vigorously until everything is off the sides of the pan. The dough will lump together and there will be a film on the bottom of the pan.
  2. Put the mixture into the bowl of a mixer or a large bowl. Beat until it breaks up a little. Add eggs one at a time. It might seem like it is not going to come back together, but keep mixing, it will.Transfer the batter into a piping bag.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe drops onto the baking sheet. Moisten your finger with water to smooth out the peaks. You can brush them with egg wash if you are so inclined so they are shiny when they are baked.
  4. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. They will be golden brown and puffed.Slice the puffs in half and fill with whipped cream or ice cream.
  5. Pour chocolate sauce over. Bon Appetit!
Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g

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How to make the perfect profiteroles | Felicity Cloake | Food | My Blog

Wednesday 17th of April 2019

[…] Julia Child reckons “you cannot fail” with choux as long as you take the proper final measures”, which means releasing the steam that will have built up inside the buns during cooking, before it has a chance to do any damage to the thin, crisp outer walls. Making a little hole in the base of each and turning them uppermost to cool seems to do the trick; I find that putting them back in the oven afterwards, as Leiths suggests, dries them out too much. […]

How to make the perfect profiteroles | Felicity Cloake | Food

Wednesday 17th of April 2019

[…] Julia Child reckons “you cannot fail” with choux as long as you take the proper final measures”, which means releasing the steam that will have built up inside the buns during cooking, before it has a chance to do any damage to the thin, crisp outer walls. Making a little hole in the base of each and turning them uppermost to cool seems to do the trick; I find that putting them back in the oven afterwards, as Leiths suggests, dries them out too much. […]

How to make the perfect profiteroles | Felicity Cloake | Food – The Best Sellers

Wednesday 17th of April 2019

[…] Julia Child reckons “you cannot fail” with choux as long as you take the proper final measures”, which means releasing the steam that will have built up inside the buns during cooking, before it has a chance to do any damage to the thin, crisp outer walls. Making a little hole in the base of each and turning them uppermost to cool seems to do the trick; I find that putting them back in the oven afterwards, as Leiths suggests, dries them out too much. […]

Ginger and Rosewater Cupcakes - Baked Bree

Tuesday 6th of March 2018

[…] been there since they renovated Julia’s Kitchen, and it is even better than it was before. Julia’s Kitchen is one of my favorite places on Earth. I could sit in that exhibit all day long, Julia was so […]

Amanda

Thursday 9th of July 2015

I know this is an old post, but I'm planning on using this recipe this weekend for an early Bastille Day party. Just in case you're still checking on comments, about how many of these does the recipe make? And are they safe to make ahead of time? I'm planning on baking these in the morning and cutting and filling right before dessert. Thanks!

bakedbree

Wednesday 15th of July 2015

It really depends on how large you pipe them, but I would guess 2 dozen? And yes, stored in an airtight container.

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