I never shy away from a good dessert, but sometimes if I don’t know what it is, I won’t order it at a restaurant.  This has been the case with profiteroles on more than one occasion.  I’ll be out with Jim and he’ll say, “Oooh – wanna get profiteroles?”  And I always say, “Nah.”  Friends, I’ve been a fool.  I don’t know if Jim knew these little treats were full of delicious pastry, ice-cream, and chocolate sauce or not, but I’d been missing out on a dessert that has a little bit of everything I like:  ice-cream, chocolate, and pastries.

I was menu planning for the week and decided to see if my good friend Ina Garten had any tasty recipes I should try out.  When I opened up Barefoot in Paris, it settled on the page dedicated to a large, glossy photo of profiteroles (you can find the recipe here if you don’t already own a copy).  “What is this?” I thought to myself.

I started to read the recipe and realized they’re just your standard choux pastry (I know how to make that – see chouquettes recipe here) with ice-cream and a chocolate sauce.  I decided I’d wow Jim with a tasty dessert for our Monday evening dinner.

Boy was he pleasantly surprised.  I’ve read some places add cream or a frosting to the choux, but I have to say the ice-cream might be what makes this treat so great.  It’s the mixture of textures – the hardish choux mixed with the creaminess of the ice-cream and the bitterness of the chocolate.  I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but it rivals a brownie a la mode.

So, if you’re looking for an easy, crowd pleasing dessert – I say give this treat a shot.  Your friends, family, party-goers will thank you and probably have seconds or thirds!