Munchy Monday #25: Profiteroles

A week ago today Hubby turned half a century old! We celebrated the occasion, due to circumstances, on the Saturday before.

Here is the menu:

1st course:
Tomato soup with crisps, peanuts, pistachio nuts, roasted broad beans and a green salad in the centre of the table

2nd course:
Roasted pork cheek served with steamed broccoli

Dessert: 
Profiterole birthday tower, made with 50 profiteroles!

Nobody thought of taking a photo of the whole meal, just the dessert.

Here is how to make them:

For the pastry:
50 g butter/margarine
150 ml water
65 g plain (all purpose) flour, sifted
2 medium eggs, beaten

Chocolate sauce:
175 g plain cooking chocolate
150 ml water
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
125 g sugar

Filling:
1 tblsp. icing sugar, sifted
2 - 3 drops vanilla essence
170 ml whipping cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 220º C.
Melt the fat in a large pan, add water and bring to boil. Add flour all at once and beat until the mixture leaves the side of the pan. Cool slightly, and add the eggs, a little at a time, beating vigorously. Put the mixture in a piping bag with 1 cm nozzle, and pipe small mounds on a dampened baking sheet. Gently press down the "crest" of each mound using a dampened knife.
Bake for 10 mins. and lower oven temp. to 190. Bake for a further 20 - 25 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, gently melt together the chocolate, instant coffee and 2 tblsps. of water in a small pan. Add remaining water and sugar and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 mins. and leave to cool.
To prepare the filling, just whisk the cream until stiff, adding icing sugar and vanilla drops. Pipe a small quantity of cream into the centre of each profiterole, pile them on a serving plate and pour chocolate sauce over the top.

This recipe will make 20 profiteroles.