chocolate profiteroles with chocolate passionfruit cream

a few weeks ago one of my coworkers gave me a quart (or carton?!) of passionfruit juice she brought back from berkeley bowl. she remembered me looking for some passionfruit whether it was in the form of the fruit itself or in juices, pulps, anything! anyway, since have this juice i figure i try and make something yummy out of it. and here you have it, these delicious chocolate profiteroles (the french's fancy way of saying cream puffs) with chocolate passionfruit pastry cream. :)

so, how did they turn out? pretty good i say. the passionfruit and chocolate definitely go together. only one unfortunate thing is that the passionfruit juice isn't passionfruity-enough in that it gets a little lost with the chocolate. unfortunately chocolate is one of those very powerful flavors. in this case it overpowered the passionfruit. although, i do feel that had i had actual passionfruit pulp or juices from the fruit itself (100% passionfruit) maybe you'd taste the fruit flavor a little more, even with the chocolate? all in all these cream puffs or profiteroles still turned out fantastic!

below's the recipe for these delicious chocolate profiteroles should you like to try them out yourself. enjoy!


these chocolate cream puffs are so good. usually i prefer my simple vanilla pastry cream or whipped cream filling, but the chocolate in this -- delish!


yup, that's a lot of chocolate profiteroles! :)

chocolate profiteroles with chocolate passionfruit pastry cream

ingredients

for the pastry cream:
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
6 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup passionfruit juice
6 oz dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup cream

for the pâte à choux:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup water
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

for the chocolate ganache glaze:
4 oz chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream

directions

to make the pastry cream: heat the half-and-half and milk, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

also, while waiting for the milk mixture to simmer, heat the 1/4 cup cream in the microwave for 30-45 seconds until it comes to a boil (really, you want it hot enough to melt the chocolate). then pour it over the chocolate chips in a decent size bowl. mix the chocolate and cream together until the ganache is form. set the chocolate aside.

now, when the half-and-half and milk mixture has reached a simmer, slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture to temper, whisking constantly. return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. off the heat, whisk in the melted chocolate and passionfruit juice. mix until everything is incorporated. strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

to make the choux pastry: preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and place rack in center of oven. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly butter or spray the pan with a nonstick vegetable spray.

in a bowl sift or whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.

place the butter and water in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. (make sure that the butter melts before the water boils to reduce the amount of evaporation.) remove from heat and, with a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until combined. return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about 1-2 minutes). transfer the dough to your electric mixer, or use a hand mixer, and beat on low speed to release the steam from the dough (about a minute) &ndash actually, i just do everything in the saucepan, beat the dough, adding the eggs, etc. once the dough is lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs (dough will separate and then come together) and continue to mix until you have a smooth thick paste (dough will fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon). spoon or pipe small mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. optional: you can gently brush the tops of the dough with a lightly beaten egg if you like. i usually don't.

bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). continue to bake for a further 30 minutes or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are almost dry inside. turn the oven off, poke a couple of holes in each puff and, with the oven door slightly ajar, let the shells completely cool (and dry out).

to fill the puffs: use the tip of a paring knife to make a small cut perpendicular to the first, creating an X in the side of each puff. fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip with the pastry cream. pipe some of the pastry cream through the X into the side of each puff until it starts to ooze back out. repeat to fill all the puffs.

to make the chocolate ganache glaze: place chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 20 seconds at a time, until the mixture just begins to steam. whisk together thoroughly until completely mixed and glossy. allow ganache to cool slightly before dipping the tops of the cream puffs. set the puffs on a rack to let the chocolate glaze set completely. if you don't care for the chocolate ganache glaze, you can sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top of the filled cream puffs. i personally prefer dipping them in the ganache because it tastes yummier that way. serve within a few hours.

makes 40 decent size profiteroles. happy eating! :)