Strawberry Profiteroles
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Recipe courtesy of Pichet Ong

Strawberry Ice Cream Profiteroles with Green Tea Sauce

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 3 hr (includes resting and cooling times)
  • Active: 1 hr
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings (plus additional profiteroles)
Adding condensed milk to profiterole adds a richness to this classic pastry; baking them at a high temp results in a wonderful caramel flavor on their darker than usual crust, much like dulce de leche.

Ingredients

Profiteroles:

Green Tea Sauce:

Macerated Strawberries:

Directions

Special equipment:
an 18-inch piping bag; a piping tip with a 1/2-inch opening (optional); an instant-read thermometer
  1. For the profiteroles: In a medium pot, combine the water, milk, butter, condensed milk, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the flour all at once to the boiling mixture. Stir with wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until a smooth mass forms. Keep cooking and stirring all around over medium heat to dry out the dough as much as possible, about 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer the dough to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. With the paddle attachment, beat at medium speed to release steam and cool it down, about 1 minute. At low speed, beat in the whole eggs and yolks one at a time, beating until incorporated between additions. Turn the speed up to medium and beat for 1 minute to fully incorporate. The dough should look smooth and glossy. When you lift some of the dough with a spatula, it should take 5 seconds to fall back into the bowl (see Cook's Note). 
  4. When the dough is ready, fill a pastry bag with a plain tip with a 1/2-inch opening and transfer the dough to the bag. Twist and tie the top of the bag with plastic string or twine to prevent the dough from spilling out when piping. Let the bagged dough rest at room temperature until it firms up enough to pipe, about 1 hour. 
  5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
  6. Pipe out 1-inch circles onto baking trays lined with a nonstick baking mat, leaving 1 inch of space in between the circles. Dab the top of each circle with a little water using your finger. 
  7. Bake for 8 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake until the tops are golden, 12 to 14 minutes more. When done, the puffs should feel weightless when lifted and the middles should be hollow. Let rest by placing the baking tray on a baker’s rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. 
  8. For the green tea sauce: Put the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Bring the milk, cream, sugar, and salt to a scald in a saucepan over medium heat (heat until you see the first sign of bubbles or to a very gentle boil). Pour the mixture into the egg yolks and whisk together to break up the yolks and combine.  
  9. Return the custard to the saucepan and cook over low heat with a flat edge wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, stirring and scraping the bottom constantly to prevent curdling. When the mixture is thickened and the temperature of the custard reaches 156 degrees F, about 6 minutes, remove from the heat, whisk in the matcha powder and process with a stick blender until foamy, breaking up any lumps. Keep the sauce refrigerated until serving. 
  10. For the macerated strawberries: In a bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice and zest. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Keep refrigerated until serving. 
  11. Gently cut 12 to 18 profiteroles in half crosswise (3 profiteroles per serving), keeping the top and bottom of each together so they match up. Make sure the centers of the profiteroles are hollow so they can be filled with ice cream. If you come across one that is not hollow, cut more until you find one. You can freeze any additional profiteroles for later (see Cook's Note). Use a 2-ounce scoop to portion the strawberry ice cream on the bottom half of each profiterole. Place the top half of each profiterole on top. Arrange them so they are close to each other. Sift matcha powder on top of the profiteroles. 
  12. Arrange some of the strawberries in the center of each serving bowl. Place 3 ice cream-filled profiteroles on the strawberries. Serve each plate with 3 tablespoons of green tea sauce on the side or pour it straight onto the profiteroles. 

Cook’s Note

If the batter does not fall back into the bowl, you need to add more egg. In which case, whisk a whole egg and add as needed. Sometimes a whole egg is too much, so you need to only add half of the egg. The profiteroles may be baked in advance and kept in the freezer for up to 1 month. They may be toasted in the oven about 30 minutes before serving at 325 degrees F for about 4 minutes to taste fresh again.