Profiteroles

Serves 8

Gluten free & vegan
Gluten & dairy free

for the Profiteroles
50g dairy-free margarine
125ml water
65g gluten-free plain flour
About 2 eggs, beaten

for the Chocolate Sauce
175g dairy-free plain chocolate
45g golden syrup
a few drops of vanilla extract
45ml water
20g dairy-free margarine

If filling the profiteroles with pastry cream, make the pastry cream the day before and stored in the fridge until needed.
If filling with dairy-free whipped coconut cream – place a tin of coconut milk into the fridge the day before needed. (See tip)

Preheat your oven to 220°c /200°c fan oven / 425°f / gas mark 7.

Place the dairy-free margarine into a saucepan with the water and a pinch of salt and sugar.

Bring the water to the boil. The dairy-free margarine should have melted by the time the water boils.

Turn off the heat and stir in the gluten-free flour. Place back on the heat and beat with a wooden spoon for 20 seconds.
Leave to cool until you can place your hand on the mix comfortably.

Beat in the egg a little at a time. You may not need all of the egg. Add until the mix just falls off the spoon when lifted. The buns will not rise properly if too much egg is added.

for the Profiteroles
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and brush with oil.

Put a large plain piping nozzle on a piping bag and fill with choux pastry.

Pipe 24 small bulbs on the tray, spaced apart. Try to pipe them all the same size.
Place in the oven and bake for 15/20 minutes. Check at this time, the tray may need turning round or placed on a lower shelf to finish cooking.

The profiteroles are cooked when you cannot see any white part near the bottom of the pastry.

The profiteroles can be frozen at this stage until needed.
When defrosting, take out of freezer bag and leave at room temperature. They will defrost in a few minutes.

When serving fit a piping bag with a small plain nozzle. Fill with dairy-free whipped cream or pastry cream. Push the nozzle into each profiterole and fill with the cream. Serve with warm chocolate sauce.

for the Chocolate Sauce
Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over a low heat until melted together. This will thicken as it cools.
Serve warm with the profiteroles.

If you are cooking the profiteroles in a gas oven you may need to leave the oven door slightly ajar near the end of the cooking to cook properly.

To make whipped coconut cream – open the tin of coconut milk and spoon out the hard coconut cream into a mixing bowl leaving the water behind. This can be sweetened with icing sugar and flavoured with vanilla. Whisk until thick.

Te enrich the pastry cream – In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the pastry cream to break up. Fold in the whipped coconut cream a quarter at a time until you are happy with the flavour.

There are now dairy-free whipping creams available in the shops. Prepare as per instructions on the packaging. Fill a piping bag and pipe into your profiteroles.

Choux Buns

Choux pastry can be used in many ways – it can be piped into different shapes, have other flavourings added to the mix before piping and baking, even deep fried!

A popular dessert is choux buns – a ring of choux pastry baked with flaked almonds on top. Filled with pastry cream, dairy-free whipped cream and fruit.

Make the choux pastry, pastry cream and dairy-free whipped cream as above.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and brush with a little oil.
Draw eight circles onto a piece of greaseproof paper 2 ½ in wide. Turn the paper over and brush with oil. Place onto a baking tray.

Fit a piping bag with a large plain nozzle and fill with choux pastry. Pipe circles onto the tray following the drawn circles. You can place a few flaked almonds on top at this stage.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 / 20 minutes. Check at this time, the tray may need turning round or placed on a lower shelf to finish cooking.

If the choux bun looks cooked but the bottom is still white continue cooking until it is golden brown all over.
Leave to cool.

To serve, cut the choux buns in half. Pipe a line of pastry cream onto the bottom half. Cover with the sliced fruit then pipe a line of whipped cream on top. Place the lid on top and dust with icing sugar.