Jazz up cream for profiteroles? And, melting chocolate?

[flobadob]

I'm going to make some profiteroles today. I've made them a couple of times before only using whipped cream. Recently someone told me to put some icing sugar and teaspoon of vanilla essence but I've not used this yet with profiteroles. I'm just wondering what other ways there are to liven up the cream and enhance the taste of profiteroles.

Also, when melting chocolate in a glass bowl on a pan of boiling water, does it matter if the bowl touches the water or should it be over the water but not touching it.

Thanks.

[mccfluff]

don;t mess with the profiteroles.....

[redcrx]

dont let water touch the bowl (i melt in it microwave which is easier)

for my profiteroles i fill with just whipped cream and then either make a chocolate topping with cream and chocolate or i pour chocolate sauce over them when serving and a little single cream.

[flobadob]

Mcfluff, I'm doing it, deal with it. Some rules are made to be broken. Thanks reds, I don't think I will try that today but I bookmarked it for future record. And thanks for the chocolate tip. I know that no water should touch the chocolate, but wasn't sure about touching the bowl.

[mccfluff]

i'm not sure i can deal with it, i might have a breakdown, perhaps a little brandy incorporated into the cream or choc may help me.....

[lorri24601]

add a teaspoon of baileys before whipping the cream :-)

[painterman32]

try adding some very strong coffee to the cream or to the chocolate - i mean like two heaped teaspoons of coffee melted in a tablespoon of boiling water - or as somebody else said, Bailey's Irish cream in the cream or a drop of liqueur of your choice, Tia Maria is also nice. For example you could put Cointreau or other orange based liqueur in the cream and have choc orange. It's my wife's favourite dessert

[flobadob]

All good. I've done a bailey cheescake so don't want to overdo the bailey's but good for future reference. Think for this time I'll stick to the vanilla and icing sugar but try the others at some stage.

Trigs, that is cheating and I'm very much against it, tut tut. Especially as they are so easy to make. Heat up 2oz butter and 1 tspn caster sugar in 150ml water until butter melts. Then bring to boil. Take off the heat and throw in 2 oz plain flour and beat to a sticky dough. Then gradually add 2 beaten eggs. Bake in teaspoon size blobs for 25 or so mins at 190 or so degrees. And all while you'd still be lookin for your car keys to go to shop.

[danoid]

two words......real vanilla!!!

scrap out the seeds from a vanilla pod.......de-lish!!!

[NoMercy]

The bowl shouldn't touch the water.

Try adding some Cointreau and some grated orange zest to the cream to make them more indulgent.

[bimbo123456]

You put sugar in your profiterole pastry????For shame. The whole point surely is the bland almost savoury taste of the pastry, the creamy sweetness of the cream and the really dark chocolate sauce. Rule in my house...must be eaten in one mouthful so the cream squidges out into the sauce....excuse me I may need to go have a cold showerl LLOL

[woofgang]

stir together equal parts of mascarpone cheese and extra thick double cream. chill well in the fridge. melt about one third as much chocolate by weight as you have mascarpone and cream. Set it to cool gently on the worktop stirring well frequently. Once the chocolate is coolish but still runny, get a palette knife or spatula ready and get the cream out of the fridge. Quickly pour in the chocolate and scraoe down the bowl hen fold the chocolate into the cream. Some will dissolve in the cream and make it chocolatey, some will set in shards in the cream. refrigerate till ready to use.