Profiteroles

Directions

1. For the puffs:
2. Bring milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt to boil in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When mixture reaches full boil (butter should be fully melted), immediately remove saucepan from heat and stir in the sieved flour with a wooden spoon until combined and mixture clears sides of pan. Return saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using smearing motion, for 3 minutes, until mixture is slightly shiny.
3. Remove the dough and place it either in the bowl of a stand mixer or the bowl of a food processor and let the dough cool off for a few minutes.
4. With the mixer running, using the beater blade, add the eggs one at a time. It's important that you let each egg incorporate fully into the dough before adding the next one. The dough will look curdled and weird - don't worry about it. After all eggs are added, mix until the dough forms a nice paste consistency. (If you do not have either a mixer or a food processor, you can beat in the eggs one at a time using a spoon).
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
6. Pipe the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large tip. If you don't have a piping bag, you can use 2 teaspoons to place the dough onto the baking sheet. Pipe the dough into mounds about 2 to 2-1/2 inches wide, spacing them apart.
7. Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for 30 minutes, or until the puffs are a nice golden brown. Turn off the heat and open the oven door a few inches with a wooden spoon and let the puffs sit in the turned off oven to dry out for about 10 minutes.
8. For the crème patissière:
9. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.
10. Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture.
11. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
12. Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking. Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil.
13. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla. Pour cream into a ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface.
14. Chill immediately and until ready to use.
15. For the chocolate sauce:
16. Heat the cream and chocolate just until it scalds (bubbles will form on the outside perimeter of the pot). Turn off heat, whisk until smooth.
17. This sauce can be kept in the refrigerator a few days - just bring to room temperature to serve because it firms up when it is cold.