cardamom scented profiteroles

it seems appropriate, given that i'm about to share a julia child recipe, to quote the lady herself: "everything in moderation, including moderation." (okay, fine, she may have re-appropriated it from oscar wilde.)

this has very little to do with anything, but i love it so. 

tomorrow is ash wednesday, which marks the beginning of lent. though i'm not a religious person in the slightest, i've abstained for lent in past years, more as a test of self-will than as a spiritual goal per se. i've given up swearing, alcohol, and (one particularly rough year) i gave up the massive chocolate chip muffins that my high school food court used to bake fresh every morning, the smell of which was the sole motivator to totter, bleary-eyed, off of the bus at 7 am, and of which i ate enough to compose at least 25% of my body's cellular makeup.

i'm not giving anything up this year, though i probably should (like, ahh, an insatiable ice cream habit that i've clung to since a young age but unfortunately no longer have the metabolism of a 12-year-old to go with it). this year i've decided to embrace the julia child approach to moderation.

which brings me to today's recipe, inspired by semlor, or swedish buns filled with cardamom-scented cream that are typically eaten the day before lent. the pastry component is a sturdier, yeasted affair, so they can feasibly be served at breakfast or with afternoon tea. i wanted all-out immoderation, so to turn this into shameless dessert fare i borrowed the cardamom cream and used it as a filling for profiteroles.

i also swiped julia's flawless recipe for pâte à choux, which in my mind is some sort of molecular miracle: containing only butter, water, flour, and eggs (no leavening agent), it relies only on a high moisture content to create steam as it bakes, yielding a delicately puffed bun as if by magic. it's dead simple to make, with none of the fussiness of pie dough or puff pastry: you essentially boil together butter and water, stir in flour and eggs, and spoon it onto a baking sheet. no kneading, folding, or crimping. done and done.

the cream is a little trickier. be forewarned, you'll think nothing's happening and then in a split second it'll thicken up at an alarming speed. it requires a bit of chilling, a straining if you're finicky about curdled egg bits, and a gentle folding in of whipped cream. go ahead, it's worth the extra effort. the result is a silken, pudding-like mixture generously spiked with enough heady cardamom to make fans sit up and take notice, and to leave those unfamiliar with the spice wondering what that perfumey something is.

and of course, the chocolate part is a no-brainer. you can go for a modest drizzle using the tines of a fork, or you can throw moderation to the wind (recommended) and deluge the damn things like it's your last year on earth. your choice. happy mardi gras!

cardamom-scented profiteroles
squished together from this and this
makes about 30 puffs, with some extra pastry cream
for pastry cream:

• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp ground cardamom
• 3⁄4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups milk
• 3 eggs
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2" cubes
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

for the pâte à choux:

• 1 cup water
• 5 large eggs, divided
• 6 tbsps butter, cut into pieces; plus extra for greasing the baking sheets
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• pinch of nutmeg (i skipped this)
• extra butter to grease the baking sheets and 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

for the chocolate:

• 3 oz. dark chocolate (i used callebaut 54%), chopped
• 3 tbsp heavy cream

make pastry cream: whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cardamom, and salt in a 2-quart saucepan; whisk in milk and eggs. bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 1 minute. remove from heat, and if you have strong feelings about not wanting tiny bits of curdled egg in your cream, now is a good time to force it through a fine mesh sieve (full disclosure: i didn't bother). whisk in butter. transfer mixture to a bowl; press a piece of plastic wrap onto surface of filling. refrigerate.

in a bowl, whisk cream and vanilla to stiff peaks. fold whipped cream into chilled filling; transfer to a piping bag fitted with a fluted tip (or just leave it covered in a bowl and spoon in the filling for a more, um, rustic effect). chill for 2 hours.

make pastry: boil water, butter and seasonings in a 2-quart heavy bottomed saucepan. remove from the heat and quickly mix in the flour all at once. stir vigorously until blended thoroughly. continue to stir over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture separates from the sides of the pan forming one mass, and it begins to film the bottom of the pan. remove from heat.

create a well in the middle of the paste and break an egg into it. stir for a few seconds until the egg is incorporated and continue to add the rest of the eggs in the same manner. the third and fourth eggs will be absorbed more slowly. mix until smooth.

preheat oven to 425°F with one rack placed on the upper third of the oven and another in the lower third. prepare two baking sheets by generously rubbing butter on the baking surface.

you can drop the paste on the baking sheet with a spoon (what i did) or pipe it with a pastry bag (with a 1/2" round tube opening) into mounds about an inch in diameter and half an inch high, 2 inches apart. dip a pastry brush into the egg wash and lightly tap each mound with the side of the brush. avoid dripping down the puff and the sheet, because that prevents the puff from rising. i gave my puffs a showering of turbinado sugar after brushing them with egg wash, but that's optional.

place the sheets in the preheated oven, one on each rack, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until they puffs have doubled in size, are golden brown, and are firm and crusty to the touch. take them out of the oven. using a sharp knife, pierce the side of each puff to prevent the crusty outside from getting soggy. return the baking sheets to the now turned off oven, with the door ajar, and leave for 10 minutes. continue to cool the puffs on a cooling rack.

while puffs are cooling, combine chocolate and cream either in a double boiler over simmering water, or in a bowl in the microwave, cooking for 20 seconds, stirring, and repeating until smooth.

using a sharp knife, cut the tops off of your puffs and fill with 2-3 tsp of pastry cream (again, you can use a pastry bag, but i just spooned it in). place the top of the puff back on and drizzle with melted chocolate. serve immediately.

if you'd like to freeze unfilled puffs, wait for the puffs to completely cool and then place them in ziploc bags. reheat in a 425°F oven for 3 to 4 minutes to thaw and crisp before serving. when using a toaster oven for a few pieces, 400°F for a minute or two does the job as well.

also, you'll probably have some leftover pastry cream. i personally recommend eating it cold with a spoon (hey, as far as midnight snacks go it's better than eating an entire jar of pasta sauce, which i may or may not have done last night), but i see no reason why you couldn't smear it on toast or cookies or use it as a decadent filling between cake layers. (oh god, why didn't i think of the cake thing before i ate most of my leftovers...?)