Chocolate-praline puffs

chocolate praline puffs

These puffs come with a warning for the chocoholics... Once you start eating them, you won't stop. They are seriously delicious. Enjoy!

Puffs:

- 100g of water

- 100 g (vegetable) milk

- 100 g (vegetable) butter

- Pinch of salt

- 100 g flour

- 3 eggs

1. Bring water, milk, butter and a pinch of salt to the boil in a saucepan over a low heat.

2. Once the mixture is boiling, take the pan off the heat and add the flour.

3. Return the pan to the heat and let it splutter for a few minutes while stirring well in between. Transfer to a large measuring cup and let cool for five minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. beat the eggs and gradually add them to the batter while mixing.

5. Fill a piping bag with a round nozzle with the batter and pipe small heaps on a baking tray with baking paper or baking mat. Keep in mind that the puffs increase in volume during rising.

You can flatten raised dots with a wet finger.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the puffs sit for another five minutes. Now open the oven door slightly so that the steam can escape slowly. After fifteen minutes you can let them cool down at room temperature.

NOTE: Whatever you do, do not open the oven door during the 25 minutes of baking. The puffs need steam to rise and if you release the steam to early, the puffs will collapse.

Filling:

These puffs are filled with chocolate Swiss cream. The cream consists of two components, firm whipping cream and pastry cream.

Chocolate Pastry Cream:

-250 g (vegetable) milk

- 50 g sugar

- 23 g cornflour

- 1 egg yolk

- 60 g chocolate, in cubes

1. Heat 200 g of the milk with the sugar in a saucepan.

2. In a measuring cup, mix the cornflour with the remaining milk and the egg yolk.

3. When the milk is almost boiling, add the cornstarch mixture while stirring. Bring to the boil while stirring and finally add the chocolate.

4. When the chocolate is fully incorporated, pour the pastry cream into a small bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the foil is in direct contact with the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool.

Whipping cream

- 300 g (vegetable) whipping cream (I use Risso Chanty Duo because it stays very firm and stable after whipping)

- (whipped cream stiffener)

- 2 big spoons of praline 

- 100 g chocolate, melted

Beat whipped cream with praline (and whipped cream stiffener) until it thickens and then add the melted chocolate, beat again.

For the Swiss cream, first beat the pastry cream before folding it under the whipped cream.
The cream is now ready to fill the puffs.

Chocolate ganache topping

- 100 g dark chocolate, in cubes 

- 80 g (vegetable) whipping cream

- 20 g (vegetable) butter

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and microwave at 30 sec intervals.

2. Stir well in between until you have a smooth, shiny ganache.

3. Dip the puffs in the ganache and let them set in the fridge.

Dig in!