I’ll often also make a double batch of the base dough to split between savory and sweet (which can be done comfortably in a six-quart stand mixer). Baked choux in various forms freezes incredibly well and can be held in the freezer, toasted to refresh for a few minutes, and ready to serve with little notice.
My love of choux runs deep, but I especially love profiteroles. Eating profiteroles is one of my earliest, most decadent pastry memories. Close your eyes and picture with me a warm plate with a few adorable little balls of choux, sliced open, stuffed full of vanilla-flecked ice cream, finished with a warm, thick drizzle of chocolate sauce—ideally with a little sidecar of even more sauce. That was the scene at the now closed Val d’Isere, a petite French restaurant and bed and breakfast in the Catskills. A recent trip to Montreal reminded me of my love of profiteroles at L’Express, an iconic restaurant with unforgettable desserts. (My own take, below, is inspired by their delightfully nostalgic maple-based version.)
Profiteroles With Maple Caramel SauceGet This RecipeThe basics of making choux at home
As impressive as profiteroles or éclairs might be, the dough itself is just a speedy combination of milk and/or water, butter, salt, flour, and eggs (a tablespoon of sugar, if you please).
You start by heating the water or milk in a saucepan, along with the butter and salt. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat off, add the flour all at once, and whisk quickly to bring it all together. Then turn the heat back on while constantly stirring with a wooden spoon for a few feverish minutes. You’ll notice the whole mixture tighten up before your eyes, transforming into a lumpy-mashed-potato-looking paste (the pâte of pâte à choux). The paste is cooked in order to force the liquid trapped within it to evaporate, which ultimately releases a billow of steam.
The process is similar to making the roux for béchamel (one of the five French mother sauces), in which you are not looking to brown the flour—just cook it. Next let the dough cool slightly and add the eggs one by one. Then you’ll beat the eggy dough until it is elastic and cooled to room temperature, when it should be tacky to the touch and holding medium-soft peaks.
Ateco Reusable Pastry Bag
The final stage is the cooking portion. This is where the road diverges and you get to decide: bake, fry, or poach. It’s nice to have a few pastry bags, piping tips, and a pastry brush handy for this stage. Pastry bags are available in disposable, compostable, or reusable models, and I prefer at least an 18-inch for choux because you can fit the whole batch in without worrying about a refilling mess (just fold your bag over a glass or other round container while you fill it).
I rely on a large plain tip to pipe the choux, and then when it comes to filling and finishing, if you want to get fancy, you can get a range of fluted tips. And finally, it’s a good idea to have a sturdy pastry brush handy for egg washing and glazing.
This mother of a dough can morph from a savory appetizer of salmon-and-cream-cheese-stuffed puffs (or a cheddary, scallion-studded bite like the gougères below) to a dinner of herbaceous, pasta-like Parisienne gnocchi, to a dessert of fried, sugar-coated pet-de-nonnes. You’ll impress yourself every time.
Cheddar and Herb GougèresGet This Recipe