Profiterole

A single cream puff

A profiterole, cream puff (US) or choux à la crème is a choux pastry ball filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be decorative or left plain or garnished with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar.

The term profiterole is traditionally used for small versions filled with whipped ice cream^[1] and topped with chocolate^[2][3] although the usage varies and can include other fillings.^[4][5]

Preparation

The choux paste is piped through a pastry bag or dropped with a spoon or pair of spoons into small balls and baked to form largely hollow puffs. Then the puffs are filled by slicing off the top, filling, and reassembling, or by injecting with a pastry bag and a narrow piping tip.

Presentation

The most common dessert presentations involve ice cream, whipped cream or a pastry cream filling, and are served plain, with chocolate sauce, or with a crisp caramel glaze. They can also be topped with powdered sugar, frosting, or fruit.

Filled and glazed with caramel, they are assembled into a type of pièce montée called croquembouches, often served at weddings and during the Christmas Holiday in France. Profiteroles are also used as the outer wall of St. Honoré Cake.

Gougères

Gougères are the savoury equivalent of profiteroles, and may be filled with a cheese mixture, game puree, etc. They are generally used as an hors d'oeuvre or a garnish or dumpling for soup.^[6]

History

They are definitely Italian.

The origin of both the pastry and its name profiterole are obscure. It was introduced in France by Caterina de' Medici, wife of Henry II of France, who brought from Tuscany several recipes, including choux pastry and Profiterole.

The word profiterole (also spelled prophitrole, profitrolle, profiterolle)^[7] has existed in English since the 16th century, borrowed from French. The original meaning in both English and French is unclear, but later it came to mean a kind of roll 'baked under the ashes'. A 17th-century French recipe for a Potage de profiteolles or profiterolles describes a soup of dried small breads (presumably the profiteroles) simmered in almond broth and garnished with cockscombs, truffles, and so on.^[8] The current meaning is only clearly attested in the 19th century.^[7]

The "cream puff" has appeared on US restaurant menus since 1851,^[9] if not earlier.

The record for world's largest cream puff, weighing in at 125.5 pounds, was achieved August 11, 2011 at the Wisconsin State Fair by Dave Schmidt and Team Cream Puff.^[10] The Wisconsin State Fair is known for its dairy bakery that has been producing cream puffs during the fair since 1924.^[11]

Around the world

Greece

A profiterole in Greece.

Profiteroles in Greece (Greek: Προφιτερόλ, Prophiteról) are often served in a bowl, covered with chocolate sauce, and topped with whipped cream.

See also

• Moorkop, a similar Dutch pastry
• Bossche bol, a giant profiterole from the Dutch city of Den Bosch
• Reuzenbol, an even larger version

References

1. ^ Carole Bloom (2 March 2007). The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and Other Ingredients. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 433–. ISBN 9780764576454. http://books.google.com/books?id=cyR9VsqMvJsC&pg=PA433. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
2. ^ Michael Ruhlman (7 April 2009). Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. Simon and Schuster. pp. 46–. ISBN 9781416566113. http://books.google.com/books?id=zGaRpi4YdIQC&pg=PA46. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
3. ^ "Profiteroles express". http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_profiteroles-express_35165.aspx. Retrieved 31 May 2011. 
4. ^ Good Housekeeping Magazine; Good Housekeeping (28 December 2001). The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook: America's Bestselling Step-by-Step Cookbook, with More Than 1,400 Recipes. Hearst Books. pp. 512–. ISBN 9781588160706. http://books.google.com/books?id=TucnTDr5qdAC&pg=PA512. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
5. ^ Glenn Rinsky; Laura Halpin Rinsky (14 February 2008). The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking and Pastry Professional. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 228–. ISBN 9780470009550. http://books.google.com/books?id=DOA9n0XjlCgC&pg=PA228. Retrieved 15 June 2011. 
6. ^ Larousse Gastronomique; see also the recipe for Palline ripiene in brodo in Giuliano Bugialli's Fine Art of Italian Cooking, ISBN 0-8129-1838-X.
7. ^ ^{a b} "profiterole". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd ed. 1989.
8. ^ Alfred Franklin, La vie privée d'autrefois. Arts et métiers, modes, mœurs, usages des Parisiens du XII^e au XVIII^e siècle: La Cuisine, Paris 1888, quoting from La Varenne, 1651
9. ^ "Revere House" restaurant, Boston, menu dated May 18, 1851: "Puddings and Pastry. ... Cream Puffs.". Digitalgallery.nypl.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
10. ^ http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/festivals/127565928.html
11. ^ http://www.originalcreampuffs.com/history.htm

External links