Orange Caramel Profiteroles/Salambos à l'Orange

These delicious little orange-flavoured caramel choux are a refreshing change to the ubiquitous chocolate profiteroles.... made in exactly the same way, you just dip them in caramel and then flavour the cream with orange liqueur/juice.  Taken from the Cordon Bleu book, I made these for a group of medics, and they disappeared without trace!   Choux pastry is really very easy so long as you don't add too much egg, but beat the bejaysus out of it before cooking.  Imperfections are easily disguised - you can stuff them with cream and hide any unsightly lumps in the caramel - look at the ones below, they are definitely not perfect! The recipe quantities below are precise, and need to be followed.   Don’t allow the water to boil for long, but, equally, it does need to boil as the heat causes the starch in the flour to expand. Go on, try!  

Salambos a l'Orange/Orange Caramel Profiteroles

Orange Caramel Profiteroles (Salambos à l'Orange)

3 ¾ oz/105g plain flour sieved twice with a pinch of salt

3oz/85g butter, cut into cubes

7 ½ fl oz/210ml water

3 small eggs

Cointreau/brandy

2oz caster sugar

½ pint double cream

1 orange

Put the sieved flour into a small bowl and have ready.  In a medium saucepan put the water and butter.  When the butter has melted, bring the water to the boil, take the pan off the heat and immediately pour in all the flour.  Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until it leaves the sides of the pan and is smooth.   This is the roux. 

Put the roux into a Kenwood/Kitchen Aid bowl, then beat up the eggs and add in small quantities, beating until smooth.  You could also use a hand-held mixer (or strong arm).   As my lovely Cordon Bleu book says, the roux should be smooth and shiny, and hold its shape.  It isn’t necessary to use all the eggs if you think that the last drop will make the roux too soft. 

Heat the oven to 180 deg C and cover two baking sheets with parchment.  Using a ½” pipe, pipe little profiteroles, not putting them too close together on the baking sheet.  With a damp finger, press down the ends. 

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until they are well risen and starting to go brown.  Cool on a baking rack.   This makes about 30 or so, depending on size.

To Finish:  Cream and Caramel

Put 2oz caster sugar into a pan and heat it until it caramelises.  Dip each choux into it (I found that, by putting a hole in each one when it was cooling, so as to let out the moisture, I could then use the hole as a support for my finger when dipping) and then put onto waxed paper.  

Whip approx ½ pint cream, adding a slug of Cointreau and some orange zest, and pipe it into each profiterole, using the hole you made earlier!  Pile onto a plate and serve with strips of orange peel and lots of cream.