Pastry Cream and Chocolate Religieuses

One of the desserts that takes me back in time to family celebration Sundays is the tray of assorted profiteroles or religieuses that, when taking center stage on the table, became a reason for applause. These religieuses with pastry cream and chocolate would have been my salvation, because when I had to choose between cream, truffle or custard profiteroles, they all seemed delicious and I couldn’t bring myself to pick a favorite.

Choux pastry is amazing. This pâte à choux can give you wonderful fritters, very artistic éclairs or double profiteroles, like these religieuses with pastry cream and chocolate that I bring you today and that are a delightful bite at any time of day. But it’s also excellent for creating savory appetizers that are as tasty as they are surprising. Its neutral flavor makes it very versatile.

The trickiest part of this recipe may be piping the profiteroles. But even if they aren’t perfect, they will surely be delicious, so that won’t stop you from enjoying this delicacy. I recommend the Le Tube pressure gun by De Buyer, which for these things (and many more!) is a great helper, since among its many virtues it allows you to adjust the amount of dough to pipe each time you press.

Take note of this recipe for religieuses with pastry cream and chocolate, because I assure you it will give you a luxurious dessert on any occasion.

Ingredients

For the pâte à choux

• 1/4 liter of milk
• 125 g of butter
• 5 g of sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 200 g of flour
• 6 eggs

For the pastry cream

• ½ l of milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 120 g of sugar
• 50 g of flour
• Pinch of vanilla

For the buttercream

• 160 g of softened butter
• 150 g of icing sugar
• 10 g of cocoa

For the glaze

• Pastry fondant or melted chocolate

Preparation

Step by step to make the pâte à choux:

1. Bring the milk to a boil along with the butter, salt, and sugar in a Shallow Casserole.
2. Add the flour off the heat and stir well until it is completely incorporated.
3. Return the Shallow Casserole to the heat and let the dough dry out for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.
4. When it’s ready, put the mixture in a bowl and add the eggs one at a time. You should add an egg, stir well to incorporate it into the dough and, when it is integrated, add the next egg. Do this with all the eggs.
5. Put the dough in the tank of the Le Tube pressure gun by De Buyer with a plain nozzle, and form 8 large profiteroles, about 4 cm in diameter and about 2 cm high, and 8 small profiteroles, 1.5 cm in diameter and 1 cm high. If possible, place the large ones on one tray and the small ones on another, since the latter will bake faster.
6. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 °C, open the oven door briefly to let the steam out and close it quickly.
7. When you see that the small profiteroles are golden, remove them from the oven.
8. When the large profiteroles take color, remove them as well.

For the pastry cream

1. Bring the milk to a boil.
2. Beat the yolks with the sugar in a bowl and add the flour.
3. Pour a small amount of the boiled milk over this mixture to loosen it.
4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the milk and bring it to a boil for 2 minutes.
5. Let the cream cool, covering it with cling film directly on the surface (in contact with the cream).

For the buttercream

1. Mix the softened butter with the cocoa until perfectly integrated
2. Add the icing sugar until well incorporated.
3. Put the cream in a refill tank of the Le Tube pressure gun with a fluted tip.

Assembly

1. Stir the pastry cream with a whisk once it has cooled to room temperature and put it in the Le Tube pressure gun with a plain nozzle.
2. Using a paring knife, make small holes in the center of all the profiteroles and fill them with the pastry cream.
3. Glaze the profiteroles in the fondant or in the melted chocolate. To do this, hold each profiterole by the base, turn it and dip it lightly into the chocolate or fondant. Turn them over immediately and place them on a tray as you go.
4. Pipe a collar of buttercream on the large profiteroles, just on top of the chocolate or fondant.
5. Finally, place each small profiterole on top of a large profiterole.

Notes

• Pastry fondant is not the same as sugar paste fondant. It can be difficult to find, which is why it’s noted that you can use melted chocolate (with a thick texture).
• The step of drying the pâte à choux well (step no. 3) is very important. It removes moisture and steam, and besides helping the eggs integrate better, this way the dough holds up longer without softening once baked.
• For the same reason it is also important to open the oven very briefly when the profiteroles have already risen. This lets out the excess accumulated steam and the dough benefits.
• Although in the recipe they are filled with pastry cream, you can fill the profiteroles with whatever you like (with whipped cream they are divine). It’s a neutral-flavored dough, so you could even make savory religieuses, for example filled with Russian salad, using mayonnaise instead of chocolate.
• Clarification between religieuses and profiteroles: both recipes are variants of pâte à choux, but they are distinguished by their shape and size. Religieuses are larger, with an elongated and ridged shape, generally filled with pastry cream or chocolate. On the other hand, profiteroles are smaller and ball-shaped, allowing for a variety of fillings, from chantilly to chocolate creams. While religieuses can be glazed or dusted with icing sugar, profiteroles are usually accompanied by chocolate or caramel toppings.