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Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

Chocolate profiterole

3 oz of unsalted butter
6½ oz of water
4 oz of plain flour
4 tsp of caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Vegetable oil
Salt

Chocolate profiterole filling

20 oz of double cream

Chocolate sauce

2 oz of caster sugar
3¼ oz of water
6 ½ oz of dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

METHOD:

To make the chocolate profiterole, begin by heating the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6 and lightly oil a large baking sheet. To make the pastry for the chocolate profiteroles, put the butter, sugar and 6½ oz. of water in a pan over a gentle heat to melt the butter. Once melted, increase the heat, and immediately add the flour and a dash of salt all at once.

Remove from the heat and beat the mix with a wooden spoon to form a smooth paste. Return to a gentle heat and stir for 1 minute so the mix comes away from the sides of the pan. Take off the heat again and beat in the egg incrementally. Once all the egg is added, beat for a minute or so to get a smooth glossy paste.

Divide the mix up on the baking tray. Either use a spoon to make walnut-sized pieces, leaving a little space between them for them to puff up, or use a piping bag and plain nozzle to pipe on small balls instead. Next, dip a teaspoon into warm water and use the back of it to smooth the top of each profiterole.

Bake the buns in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the tray and bake for another 5-10 minutes until dark golden (if underdone the buns will be soggy once cooled). Remove from the oven and make a small hole in the base of each profiterole with a skewer. Place them back on the tray, holes upwards, and cook for a few minutes more.

Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Once cold, they can be stored in an airtight container in a cool place for 24 hours. Place the cream in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form, then transfer to a piping bag with a ¼ in plain nozzle, and place in the fridge while you make the chocolate sauce.

Place the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water to melt. Meanwhile, place the sugar and water in a pan over a moderate heat, dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil. Stir the melted chocolate into the sugar syrup and set aside. To finish, pipe the cream into the chocolate profiteroles then stack them up on a plate. Drizzle over a small amount of the chocolate sauce, and then serve with plenty of extra hot chocolate sauce on the side.