Profiterole

A profiterole (French: [pʁɔfitʁɔl]), cream puff (US), or chou à la crème (French: [ʃu a la kʁɛm]) is a filled French choux pastry ball with a typically sweet and moist filling of whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream. The puffs may be decorated or left plain or garnished with chocolate sauce, caramel, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Savory profiterole are also made, filled with pureed meats, cheese, and so on. These were formerly common garnishes for soups.[1]

Profiterole
A plate of cream puffs
Alternative names
  • Cream puff (US)
  • choux à la crème (France)
  • kue sus (Indonesia)
  • シュークリーム (Japan)
  • soesje (Netherlands)
  • Windbeutel (Germany)
  • ptyś (Poland)
TypeCustard
Place of originEurope
Region or stateFrance and Italy
Main ingredientsChoux pastry
Filling: whipped cream, custard, or ice cream
Other informationWater based, milk based
Chou with chocolate ganache

The various names may be associated with particular variants of filling or sauce in different places.[2][3][4][5]

Preparation

Choux pastry dough is piped through a pastry bag or dropped with a pair of spoons into small balls and baked to form largely hollow puffs. After cooling, the baked profiteroles are injected with filling using a pastry bag and narrow piping tip, or by slicing off the top, filling them, and reassembling. For sweet profiteroles, additional glazes or decorations may then be added.

Presentation
Czech version

The most common presentations are pastry cream, whipped cream, or ice cream filling, topped with powdered sugar or chocolate ganache and possibly more whipped cream. They are also served plain, with a crisp caramel glaze, iced, or with fruit.

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

History

The profiterole draws its origins from the Renaissance. Caterina de 'Medici, marrying Henry II of France and later becoming queen, brought all her gastronomic recipes from her homeland (Tuscany); one of its chefs, Popelini, created in 1540 the choux pastry (for cream puffs), which became very famous in France (like many other recipes of Italian origin) and with it also the profiteroles. The fame of this dessert spread, however, after the seventeenth century, a period in which the true art of pastry was developed.

Today

The "cream puff" has appeared on US restaurant menus since at least 1851.[6]

The Wisconsin State Fair is known for its giant cream puffs.[7][8]

See also

References
  1. Prosper Montagné, Larousse Gastronomique, 1st edition, 1938, s.v.
  2. 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 978-0-7645-7645-4. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  3. Michael Ruhlman (7 April 2009). Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. Simon and Schuster. pp. 46–. ISBN 978-1-4165-6611-3. Retrieved 15 June 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 978-1-58816-070-6. 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 978-0-470-00955-0. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  6. "Revere House" restaurant, Boston, menu dated May 18, 1851: "Puddings and Pastry. ... Cream Puffs". Digitalgallery.nypl.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
  7. "Original Cream Puffs". WIStateFair.com. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
  8. "The Cream Puffs Of Wisconsin". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.