Profiterole Mountain with Chocolate Sauce

INGREDIENTS

For the choux pastry:

• 60g salted butter
• 80g plain flour
• 3 large eggs
• 130ml water

For the chantilly cream:

• 200ml whipping cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

For the chocolate sauce:

• 60ml single cream
• 30g caster sugar
• 50g dark chocolate, finely chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7 & line two large baking sheets.
2. Place the butter in a saucepan with 130ml water & bring to a boil until the butter melts.
3. Remove from the heat & beat in the flour with a wooden spoon until a dough comes together. Place the pan back on the heat & beat the dough in the saucepan for about 40 seconds. Remove from the heat once again & set aside. Beat one of the eggs in a small bowl.
4. Add the remaining two eggs to the warm dough, one at a time, beating thoroughly. Add a little of the beaten egg at a time until you have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped.
5. Scoop the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping nozzle & pipe small swirls of dough on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 4cm between each swirl. Brush each one with the leftover beaten egg.
6. Place in the oven, reducing the heat to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5, for about 15–20 minutes until the choux pastry has risen & is golden.
7. Pierce holes in the underside of the buns & cool completely.
8. For the chantilly cream, whisk the cream, icing sugar & vanilla paste until soft peaks form.
9. For the chocolate sauce, heat cream & sugar in a saucepan until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat & stir in the chocolate until smooth.
10. To assemble the profiteroles, scoop the chantilly cream into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle & pipe it into the holes on the underside of the choux buns.
11. Pile the profiteroles onto a serving plate & drizzle over the chocolate sauce & decorate if you wish. Serve straight away.