Profiteroles & Pastry Swans
Recipe comes courtesy of my school notes at Tafe: yield 1doz+ depending on how large you pipe the profiteroles.
Ingredients:
250ml water
100g of butter
125g flour
3-4 eggs, (as needed)
I’m serving mine with a creme chantilly, strawberries & icing sugar.
You’ll also need a mixing bowl, whisk, wooden spoon, sieve, saucepan, fork and small bowl/jug and baking trays lined with baking paper, (plus extra if you plan to make the swans heads,)
Method:
Preheat your oven to 200-210C (392F) line the baking trays with some paper and set aside.
Bring the water and butter to the boil in the saucepan. I’ve been taught to cut the butter into smaller pieces, that way by the time the butter melts (you haven’t lost excess liquid either.
Remove pan from heat and add the sieved flour (forming what’s known as the panada.)
Return the pan to the heat and stir continuously to cook out the mixture until it leaves the sides of the pan and forms a soft ball.
Cool pan slightly and whisk a few eggs together lightly,
Gradually add the egg mix into the bowl beating the mixture with a wooden spoon to until glossy, (Paste should be dropping consistency.) Adjust with more or less eggs accordingly, I used 3 in total.
Pipe small balls of the choux pastry using a standard nozzle, onto the baking paper & trays, alternatively you can spoon the mixture neatly onto the trays too. The smaller piping bag made from the baking paper can be used to make the swan heads see below
Bake at 200-210C (392F) for 20-25 mins or until golden brown.
To serve:
Creme chantilly,
Whisk 1 cup of cream with one and a half tablespoons of icing sugar and a little (vanilla essence or scraped vanilla seeds) until thick,
Slice some strawberries and slit the profiteroles part way through. Fill the balls with some cream chantilly, sliced strawberries and dust with icing sugar to serve.
Swan heads:
On a separate baking sheet & tray, pipe some choux pastry from a smaller piping bag, (which you can make from the baking paper,)
Pipe thin streams into a number 2 shape with a little ball for the head and continue the ribbon onto the base of the swan. I’ve ended up with a few Z’s a flamingo, snake and maybe a couple of swans.
Bake for a few minutes until firm, serve with the profiteroles base, (one side cut into wings) and the two wings rested on top of the other side with cream to anchor the base, serve immediately.
