profiteroles with ginger ice cream and chocolate sauce

This is one of the desserts I'm making for Turkey Day, and what a delight! Delicate cream puffs filled with a creamy ginger ice cream from a local producer, Walpole Creamery, and a thick chocolate sauce. I know, I know - it's not pie - though it's possible a little pumpkin or apple pie might end up in this, since everyone will be assembling their own cream puffs.

For the profiteroles, I used Julia's recipe, since I'm pretty sure it's the same one I have scribbled - and lost - somewhere in my stack of clippings.

To make puffs:

1 1/2 cups water

9 T. unsalted butter

1/4 t. salt

2 t. sugar

1 1/2 cups King Arthur flour

5 large eggs, plus one for the egg wash. ( at room temperature)

Preheat oven to 425F.

Cover two baking sheets with parchment or foil.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring water, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil. When the butter has melted, remove pan from heat and throw in the flour all at once. Furiously stir with a wooden spoon until the dough makes a ball. Plop into mixer bowl.

Using the paddle attachment, add the eggs, one at a time.

The dough will be sticky. Very sticky.

Spoon dough into a pastry bag ( or just use two spoons) and pipe out 3 circles of dough for each puff - one on top of the other. If you're using spoons, just measure out what looks right and drop onto baking sheet.
Mix up the egg wash by beating an egg in a small dish. Use a small pastry brush to dab the tops of the puffs so it will brown up a little as it bakes.

Place baking sheets in the upper and middle levels of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350, and bake another 10 minutes. The puffs should be golden and almost twice the size they were before baking.

Check the puffs to make sure they're golden and puffed. If all is well, turn off the oven and leave the puffs in the oven, with the oven door slightly open. This helps them to dry correctly.

While you're waiting, make the chocolate sauce:

1/2 cup semi sweet or milk chocolate chips, good quality

3 T. heavy cream

1 T. unsalted butter

1 t. vanilla or Grand Marnier

Place ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave a few minutes, until the chocolate is smooth and melted when you stir it.

To assemble:

You will need ice cream. I used ginger, which was awesome, but feel free to pick your own. Traditionally, vanilla is used.

Gently break the cream puffs in half, scoop the ball of ice cream on the bottom, cap it with the top of the profiterole, then drizzle chocolate sauce on.

Enjoy!