RECIPE
PROFITEROLE MOUNTAIN
Serves: 6
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHOUX
- 175g unsalted butter
- 200g plain flour
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 400ml water
FOR THE FILLING
- 900ml whipping cream
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
TO DECORATE
- 200g sugar
- 60ml water
- 100g ready to roll icing
- Edible lustre
- Icing sugar, to dust
METHOD
- For the choux, place the butter and water in a medium saucepan. Heat until the butter melts, then bring to a fast boil.
- Immediately remove from the heat and beat in the flour until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Allow to cool.
- Gradually beat in the eggs before transferring the mixture to a piping bag. Pipe the choux into balls 4cm wide over two sheets of baking paper.
- Bake in the oven at 200°C / fan 180°C / gas mark 6 for 20-30 minutes. Transfer the profiteroles to a wire rack, poking a hole in each one to release the steam.
- For the filling, whip together the cream, icing sugar, and spices until stiff. Using a piping bag fitted with a long nozzle, fill the profiteroles with the cream filling. Chill for one hour.
- To decorate, heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and leave the mixture to thicken without stirring. Remove the pan from the hob when the caramel turns golden.
- Carefully dip each of the buns in the caramel and build your profiterole mountain. Dust with icing sugar.
- Hang a rolling pin off the side of your worktop. Dip a fork in the remaining caramel and shake it back and forth over the rolling pin to create spun sugar. Carefully lift the strings from the rolling pin and wrap them around the mountain.
- Cut some reindeer shapes and a sleigh out of the ready to roll icing. Dust with edible lustre and place on your showpiece.