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Glossy chocolate profiteroles

This decadent dessert is brought to you from Alastair Hendy's Home Cook

Glossy chocolate profiteroles

Method

1. Lightly grease two baking sheets with butter and line each with greaseproof paper. Switch the oven on to 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas 6. Stick the butter and 250ml water in a saucepan, bring to a bubble, then remove from the heat. Tip in the flour, sugar and ½ tsp salt, beating at the same time: it will start looking like a massive glob of roux at this point. Keep beating away until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and goes into a ball.

2. Now beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Then using two teaspoons, form the mixture into walnut-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Or pipe them for a pointy top effect. Bake the choux balls for about 45 minutes - check up on them after 30. If they're golden, puffed and crisped, then they're ready. Transfer them to a wire rack, then slice them almost half way through, to allow the steam out. You don't want them chewy. You can store them in a tin for a day or two - but if doing this, pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to make sure they've crisped up and not lost all their moisture.

3. For the sauce, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, then mix in the butter, golden syrup and cream, and remove from the heat. This can be reheated - just put it back over the water pan. Near to when you want to serve, whip the cream into soft peaks, then stuff or pipe a blob into each profiterole. Serve them doused with the chocolate sauce.