Mocha Profiteroles with Espresso Ice-Cream & Caramelised Cocoa Nibs + a Saveur finalist

• Vegetarian

• Refrigerated

  • 4 Eggs

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 cup Cocoa nibs
  • 150 g Dark chocolate
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla essence
  • 1 1/2 tbsp White sugar

• Drinks

  • 1/4 cup Brew coffee or cold espresso
  • 1 shot Espresso
  • 1 tbsp Espresso, instant powder

• Dairy

  • 75 g Butter
  • 1 can Condensed milk, sweetened
  • 2 1/2 cup Cream
  • 1/2 cup Whole milk

• Liquids

  • 1 cup Water

Found on thebrickkitchen.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 75g butter
• 1½ tablespoons white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour
• 4-5 eggs, depending on size. (I used 4.5!)
• Icing sugar to dust.
• 150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• ½ cup cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 shot espresso (or ¼ cup strong hot coffee)
• ¼ cup sugar (50g)
• ¼ cup cocoa nibs (25g)
• 2 cup cream
• 1 can (400ml) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• ¼ cup cold brew coffee or cold espresso
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Directions

• Preheat oven to 220°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
• Place the water, butter, sugar and salt in a heavy based saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium. Quickly add the flour all at once and beat vigorously until the dough comes away cleanly from the sides of the pot and is smooth and glossy.
• Transfer to a cake mixer and beat for 30 seconds with the balloon whisk. Add the first 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The addition of the last egg depends on the size of your eggs - you will need to make a judgment call about the consistency of your choux pastry - I often add half of the last egg. The pastry needs to be glossy and hold its shape when you pipe it (see photos), and ‘drop’ off your beaters smoothly (see photo).
• Pipe or spoon walnut sized balls of dough onto the lined baking trays, leaving 2cm between each.
• Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the oven temperature 200°C and bake a further 10-15 minutes or until golden and dry. I normally check one by pulling one out and cutting it in half.
• Either cool uncovered in a single layer if using straight away, or freeze immediately to use at another time.
• Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl.
• In a small saucepan, heat the combined cream and milk to boiling point.
• Pour the cream/milk mixture and the hot espresso onto the chopped chocolate.
• Leave to sit and melt for 3-5 minutes then whisk until silky smooth. Keep in a warm place if using soon, or cool and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. To reheat, place in a double boiler (in a bowl sitting over a pot of barely simmering water) and slowly heat until warm and silky.
• Spread the sugar in a pan in an even layer. Heat over medium heat until the sugar starts to melt, and using a heatproof spatula, gently stir the sugar until it is a dark amber colour and just begins to smoke (but before it burns!)
• Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the cocoa nibs so they are coated with caramel. Scrape them onto the baking paper and spread as much as you can into an even layer before it hardens (see photo). Allow to harden at room temperature, then crumble into little pieces.
• In a mixer or with an electric beater, whip the cream to stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Whisking the cream continuously, slowly pour the condensed milk mix into the cream until combined.
• Gently whisk in the cold coffee and instant espresso powder.
• Transfer to a container, cover and freeze overnight.
• Slice the profiteroles in half and fill with a scoop of espresso ice cream. Top with a drizzle of mocha sauce and caramelized cocoa nibs. Dust with icing sugar to finish.