Profiteroles with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hot Fudge
Choux pastry baked hollow and crackling, split warm, and packed with ice cream before the fudge has a chance to melt it into soup.
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Written
Method
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Bring the water, ½ cup butter, sugar, and salt to a full boil in a saucepan.
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Dump in the flour all at once and stir hard until the dough balls up and a thin film coats the bottom of the pan, about a minute.
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Scrape the dough into a bowl and beat for a minute to cool it slightly, then beat in the eggs one at a time until fully absorbed — the dough should fall off the spoon in a slow, glossy ribbon.
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Pipe or spoon golf-ball-sized mounds onto a lined baking sheet, spaced well apart, and smooth any peaks with a wet fingertip.
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Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F and keep baking until the shells are deeply golden, firm, and sound hollow when tapped, 20 to 25 more minutes.
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Pierce each shell with a paring knife and let cool completely on a rack — this lets steam escape so they stay crisp instead of going soggy.
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Warm the cream in a small saucepan until it just simmers, then pour over the chopped chocolate, butter, corn syrup, and pinch of salt and let sit a minute before stirring into a smooth, glossy sauce.
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Slice the shells in half, fill with a scoop of ice cream, replace the tops, and spoon the warm sauce over just before serving.
Notes
The two temperatures in the bake are doing two different jobs: the hot start throws enough steam to puff the shells, and the lower finish dries out the inside so they hold their shape instead of deflating into wet dough. Don’t open the oven door before the color sets or they’ll collapse.
Bake the shells as far as a day ahead and leave them uncovered at room temperature — a loose enclosure keeps humidity off them, which is the enemy here. Fill only right before serving; ice cream and warm fudge together give you about five minutes before the whole thing turns into a sundae, which is not a bad outcome, just a different one.