We hadn’t planned on dessert (well, not consciously anyway). But, after a meal of salad nicoise with freshly seared tuna and a succulent plate of duck confit, to not at least consider dessert would have been almost... rude!
The words "Giant Profiterole” seemed to leap off the menu, and we instantly agreed to share. Great decision! This was no ordinary portion– and besides, splitting such an ample serving was like making a joint discovery.
Where to start? A taste of chocolate sauce– rich and velvety. Then, the process of slowly chipping away at the crusty shell of the profiterole, making sure to excavate a worthy scoop of vanilla ice cream on the way.
We repeated this process, almost in unison, but not in any hurried way. The nicely-chilled middle layer of this treasure remained in position as we feasted, without melting into a soggy puddle.
Profiterole perfection! An amazing finish to an enjoyable Saturday lunch at Petit Robert South End. Something we’ve come to expect and can’t wait to repeat.
Update 03/09/12: The Boston Chowhounds started a discission of profiteroles, welcome to everyone who came over here to see the photos. If you came here from somewhere else, click over and read what a few more food lovers have to say on this topic.
Related Link:
Should you want to make your own profiterole, or just watch how it’s done, there’s no better teacher than Ina Garten. Here’s a clip from her Barefoot Contessa show on Food Network. And, Penny says she learned a great new way of making the pastry from this video.
We seldom recommend cookbooks from TV personalities. Ina is an exception, because her cookbooks work well for home cooks. Here's a link to Amazon's Ida Garten collection.
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Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2011 Penny Cherubino
