Would you guess that balsamic vinegar works in a sweet treat? Well, it does extremely well – especially with pistachios. Chocolate and rose pepper also are a true match as well. By combining these two pairs we can create unique and delicious profiteroles.
The classic dessert is popular in both Italian and French cuisine, and its main components, choux pastry and Chantilly cream, do a great job in embracing all of the composition’s flavors from sweet to sour and from earthy to floral. The basic idea of pairing up ‘balsamic vinegar and pistachios’ was suggested in a Foodpairing tree, provided after a Foodpairing workshop for bloggers we attended in Berlin.
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Preparations (makes 16 profiteroles):
Choux pastry
- 60 ml water
- 25 g butter
- 1 pinch of salt
- 50 g flour
- 12 g starch
- 2 eggs
Mix flour and starch, then heat up butter, water and salt until the butter has melted. Boil up and put aside, next add the flour mixture all at once and stir with a cooking spoon until the dough is ball-shaped. Put back to medium heat and stir for a minute. Let cool down a bit and put into a mixing bowl, add an egg and stir powerfully until well incorporated.
Add the second egg and do the same until the dough is shiny and forms peaks. Fill into a pastry bag with a round nozzle and spread little pastries on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes at 200 °C (gas). Take off and leave to cool down.
Chocolate Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar
- 100 g dark chocolate 70 %
- 100 ml cream
- 3-4 tsp. balsamic vinegar of good quality
- 1 pinch ground vanilla
Melt both the cream and the chocolate in a bain-marie and stir with a whisk until well combined. Add vanilla and vinegar one by one and stir well again until you get a smooth texture. Leave to cool down lukewarm.
Chantilly Cream
- 150 ml cream
- 40 g raw sugar
- 1 tsp. ground vanilla
- 2 pinches rose pepper
Mix all ingredients and whisk with your handheld mixer until the cream is stiff enough to handle with a pastry bag.
Assembly
- 3 tbsp
- pistachios, chopped and roasted
Fill the Chantilly cream into a pastry bag and either fill in the pastries using a long and small nozzle or cut the pastries into halfs, fill some cream on the bottom parts and put the lids on top. Arrange the pastries on dessert plates, drizzle with sauce and spread some pistachios on top. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Photos by Arne & Claudia
