Peanut Butter and Jam Chocolate Ice Cream Profiteroles - Chef Recipe by Darren Purchese

Ingredients

"All of the major food groups are well represented here – chocolate, ice cream, peanut butter, caramel and jam. Enjoy!" ~ Darren Purchese.

Components:

Chocolate chip ice cream
Baked chocolate choux bun
Peanut butter caramel

Peanut Butter Caramel:

150 ml (5 fl oz) thickened (whipping) cream
60 g (2 oz) peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
100 g (3 1/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream:

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) Chocolate ice cream
30 g (1 oz) dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Baked Chocolate Choux Buns:

160 ml (5 1/2 fl oz) cold water
75 g (2 3/4 oz) cold butter, diced
5 g (1/4 oz) salt
15 g (1/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
20 g (3/4 oz) skim milk powder
70 g (2 1/2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
20 g (3/4 oz) Dutch (unsweetened) cocoa powder, sifted
3 eggs

Assembly:

300 g (10 1/2 oz) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
200 g (7 oz) raspberry jam
Peanut butter to taste
Crushed toasted peanuts for garnish

Method

Peanut Butter Caramel:

Put the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter. Set aside.

Place a separate large saucepan over medium heat for a minute to get hot. Gradually add the sugar to the pan in three stages. Stir each batch with a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula to dissolve the sugar and cook it to a deep amber colour before adding the next batch.

Once all the sugar is in and you have a golden caramel, add half the scalded peanut butter cream. BE CAREFUL! This mixture will expand furiously and the steam is extremely hot. Whisk the mixture and gradually add the remaining cream until it is all in.

Remove from the heat and serve immediately or leave to cool a little to thicken up.

Tip: This sauce can be made in larger batches or in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Just melt it in a saucepan over medium–low heat or in a microwave to warm it up before serving.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream:

Place the chocolate ice cream in a bowl and leave for 5 minutes to soften. Add the chocolate pieces and mix well with a spatula. Store in the freezer until required.

Baked Chocolate Choux Buns:

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Spray a baking tray lightly with canola oil and lay a sheet of baking paper on top to stick. Smooth the paper flat.

Combine the cold water, butter, salt and sugar in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. While boiling, whisk in the milk powder to dissolve it.

Reduce the heat to medium then add the sifted flour and cocoa powder all in one go while stirring with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Continue to cook and stir for around 2 minutes until the mixture comes together to form a ball and forms a slight skin at the base of the pan.

Transfer the dough to a freestanding mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low–medium speed for about 30 seconds to release some of the steam and cool the dough off slightly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Transfer the mixture to a piping (icing) bag fitted with a large plain nozzle. Pipe six equal-sized bulbs, evenly spaced apart, on the lined baking tray. Each bulb should be the size of a large golf ball.

Wet your finger with cold water and use it to smooth the top of each bun to ensure they are all even and look the same.

Freeze the buns, unbaked, on the tray for 4 hours until completely hard and then store them, covered, in a plastic container in the freezer until needed.

Remove the buns from the freezer and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Allow them to defrost at room temperature for 1 hour.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Do not open the door while baking as this may cause a collapse in your pastry. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (320°F) and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Turn the oven off completely and leave the buns in the oven to dry out for a further 20 minutes. Remove the buns from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

Assembly:

Use a small serrated knife to cut the buns in half horizontally.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave.

First spoon some raspberry jam and then some peanut butter into the base of each baked chocolate choux bun.

Scoop a large ball of chocolate ice cream into each bun and spoon over some peanut butter caramel.

Top with the bun lid and pour over the melted chocolate followed by crushed toasted peanuts over the top.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Lamingtons & Lemon Tart by Darren Purchese published by Hardie Grant RRP $49.99 available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Lamingtons & Lemon Tart by Darren Purchese published by Hardie Grant RRP $49.99 available in stores nationally.