This is the choose-your-own-adventure recipe you've all been waiting for! One dough, many ways!
Pâte â Choux can be turned into so many things - feeling sweet make profiteroles (cream puffs) or eclairs! Feeling savoury, then you’re on your way to cheese town making gougères (they are such a great party app, or eat-at-home all by yourself snack).
Either way, it’s delicious and easy to make. No special equipment needed besides a pot, a bowl and a baking sheet.
The pâte â choux portion of this recipe comes from French chef Alain Ducasse. This week we're making a classic French pastry dough that can be used in multiple ways! You can choose to make gougères - which turns the pastry savoury with cheese and chives or go sweet and make profiteroles - either fill them with whipped cream or ice cream with chocolate on top! OR you can divide the batter in two and make some of both!
Pâte â Choux
½ cup (113.4g) unsalted butter
1 cup (240g) water
½ tsp salt
1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs (200g)
For Cheese & Chive (Gougères)
1 cup (100g) shredded gruyere or cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand)
2 tbsp finely chopped chives, optional
For Profiteroles (Cream Puffs)
2 cups (480g) 35% whipping cream
2 tbsp granulated sugar
Icing sugar, for dusting
Chocolate Sauce (optional)
2/3 cup (100g) semi-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips or chocolate bar broken into small pieces)
½ cup (120g) whipping cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400F (200c). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium-sized pot combine butter, water and salt (and sugar if making sweet) over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add flour. Stir until the mixture comes together to form a smooth dough. Continue to cook dough, stirring constantly, to help dry out the mixture, about 3 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and place mixture in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Let stand for a few minutes to cool slightly. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg has been fully combined before adding another one. If the mixture looks a bit stringy, don’t worry, keep mixing, the batter will come back together again. If making cheese gougeres, go ahead and mix in your cheese and chives now. If making sweet profiteroles, move on to the next step.
3. Dollop 1 tbsp size portions of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1-inch (2.5-cm) apart. Alternatively, pop the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch (1.25-cm) round nozzle and pipe the mixture onto the baking sheet. Fill a small bowl with water and dip your fingers in the water and smooth the tops of each profiterole.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough has puffed and is golden brown. If making gougeres, go ahead and eat these babies warm, they are so good. If making profiteroles, let them cool completely.
5. In a large bowl, whip remaining cream with granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Using a serrated knife, slice open the profiteroles lengthways. Divide cream between profiteroles. Top with lids. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
6. To make the optional chocolate icing, place chocolate chips or chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat ½ cup cream in microwave or on stove until scalding hot. Pour cream over chocolate. Let sit 3-4 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over top of profiteroles or dip lids in chocolate sauce.