Tuesday, November 2, 2010

ABC: Pumpkin Ice Cream Profiteroles


It’s the first Tuesday of the month, which means it’s time for another Avid Baker’s Challenge and another intriguing recipe from Baking for All Occasions. This month the recipe of choice was Pumpkin Ice Cream Profiteroles with Caramel Sauce, aka the recipe that convinced me to join the ABC group! I have a long list of baked goods I want to try making at some point and profiteroles had been on that list far too long. They seem so fancy-schmancy, definitely restaurant caliber. I was happy to learn that they really aren’t so fussy. I did have trouble telling if the Pâte à choux (the dough) was mixed enough and was worried the profiteroles did not have enough height, but they were nice and airy after they were baked and, especially once they were filled, they were plenty tall. The profiteroles were supposed to have a cookie on top, but I skipped that part of the recipe.



I did make my own ice cream to fill them with, though. I had made pumpkin ice cream before, from this recipe on David Lebovitz’s site. He had adapted the recipe from The Craft of Baking, and I happened to be making something else from that book the same morning, so I made the ice cream directly from the book this time. In comparing the recipes, David adds a bit of liquor to the custard, which I did the first time I made the pumpkin ice cream, and I decidedly prefer it without. The butterscotch sauce recipe Flo recommends to go with the profiteroles contains bourbon, which is enough alcohol in one dessert. I made an entire batch of butterscotch sauce, which is fantastic, but I am not sure what I’m going to do with it all – you really don’t need a lot for the profiteroles.



I didn’t have a special occasion to make these for (I decided that I should have people over for dinner more often so I will be motivated to clean and so I have good reasons to make desserts like this), but I one of the great things about this recipe is that it stores very well. We aren’t great about saving and eating baked goods from the freezer, but the profiteroles keep beautifully, and you just have to take them and the ice cream out a little bit before you want to assemble them. This recipe rated a 9 for Deliciousness and a 4 for Effort, for an EDR of 2.25. The ABC group now has its very own blog so our lovely administrator, Hanaa, no longer has to run it from her site, so go check out how the other bakers liked this dessert.

12 comments:

spike. said...

those look amazing and perfect for the season! can't believe they freeze so well

Hanaâ said...

They look great. Mine turned out a little flatter but they were still delicious. I halved the recipe but maybe my 2 eggs were more than 3 fl oz (I didn't measure them in a measuring cup). Or maybe my dough was still too warm even after the 10 min wait. I'll definitely try these again.

Good to know that the ice cream recipe works w/o the booz. I'll have to try it sometime. The store bought ice cream I used was pretty good although a little on the sweet side.

If you make these again, don't skip the cookie part. I think it really added a lot to this dessert. Even without the filling I could eat these puffs like cookies whereas regular unfilled cream puffs are pretty blah.

Karen Baking Soda said...

Lovely puffs; so nice and even. Great job!

Damaris @Kitchen Corners said...

yum. seriously yum. I love pumpkin ice-cream.

Unknown said...

Haha I laughed when you talked about having people over so you'd have motivation to clean. That's almost the only time our house gets a thorough cleaning....

I saw these on Hanaa's site the other day and haven't been able to stop thinking about them. I've only made profiteroles once and it was a while ago, so I'm due to make them again. Love the combination of flavors here!

Leslie said...

Wow, if profiteroles are on the menu, I'll wait by the mailbox for my invitation. I think these would be very versatile and the 9 for deliciousness gets my attention!

Lisa said...

What a delicious way to use pumpkin ice cream. I'd enjoy swirling them around in that caramel sauce and devouring them. I'm holding a CSN giveaway on my blog and you're welcome to come by and enter. http://sweet-as-sugar-cookies.blogspot.com/2010/11/45-csn-giveaway.html

Anonymous said...

i too was kinda afraid dealing with pate choux. But i guess u were right, they werent that fussy after all. COngratulations. your profiteroles look perfect!

JoAnn Freda said...

Geez, these look fantastic. Your brother Joe would make short work of that caramel sauce if he lived closer. What a perfect combination of pastry, ice cream and sauce.

Megan said...

Pumpkin ice cream? Oh yes, that sounds lovely.

I agree about the frozen desserts thing - sometimes I get tired of them before they get eaten up. And then I feel guilty. Which isn't good. But strangely, I never feel that way about ice cream!

Anonymous said...

They look perfect! Profiteroles are so good, and what a great seasonal touch with the pumpkin ice cream.

Californienne Parisienne said...

Those look AMAZING! Although I live in the land of profiteroles, the French are highly suspicious of pumpkins abd don't tend to bake with them... Hope you're well! Any wedding date decisions? Things are good in France. I miss you!!
Love,
Blythe