THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, A GATHERING OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND A HEALTHY SUPPLY OF HOME-MADE PROFITEROLES ARE THE INGREDIENTS TO A FABULOUS FESTIVE SEASON FOR GEMLIFE PACIFIC PARADISE HOMEOWNERS COLIN AND KIM HARRIS.
“My mum showed me how to make profiteroles when I was younger and I’ve been making them ever since,” said Colin who always had a hankering to be a chef.
He even joined the Army to be a cook, but the timing was wrong, and he ended up taking on the role of steward (waiter) in the catering corps instead.
“It was either become a steward or wait another 15 weeks doing odd jobs like raking leaves before the next cook’s course started. If we took on the steward’s role, we were also told we could do it for a year and then get priority if we still wanted to become a chef,” he said.
Colin never went back to do the course. He was promoted to sergeant and soon after was involved in a motorcycle accident which put an end to his military career.
“We then ran a bistro in Canberra for a year before my leg injuries forced me to give it up,” said Colin, who says he has been a jack-of-all-trades ever since.
Kim and Colin have been married for 43 years and have two children and three grandchildren. They love getting together to celebrate the festive season and regard Christmas Day as a time of reflection, joy and happiness.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Colin, who is originally from southwest Victoria.
“These days we don’t go overboard with catering for Christmas and usually have standard cuisine such as ham, turkey, salad, prawns and dessert. The dessert, of course, is my profiteroles which everyone seems to look forward to and love,” he said.
“The hardest thing about making profiteroles is believing that they will all turn out beautifully on the day. But I’ve been pretty lucky and have a tried-and-true recipe which is so quick and easy.”
Colin says there are a few options for ways to serve the profiteroles to guests, but he usually fills them with cream and tops them with chocolate sauce.
“No one has knocked one back yet so I must be doing something right!”
Profiteroles
Makes 16
80g butter
1 cup water
1 cup plain flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 block cooking chocolate
600ml cream, 400ml beaten until thick for filling, 200ml for chocolate sauce
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Grease cooking tray.
- In a saucepan, place butter and water. Bring to a gentle boil so butter melts. Add the sifted flour all at once, stir with a wooden spoon until all the flour is combined. Turn heat down low and gently cook the mix to cook the flour (a few minutes).
- Allow to cool slightly, add beaten eggs, stir until eggs are combined. This will take a few minutes. Don’t stir too vigorously.
- Once the mix is smooth and well combined, use a dessert spoon to place the mix onto the tray.
- Cook until golden brown (25 minutes approximately). Allow to cool.
- With a sharp knife, make a hole in the underside of the profiterole. Fill a piping bag with the whipped cream and fill each profiterole.
- Melt half of the chocolate in the microwave, drizzle over the profiteroles.
- Add the remainder of the chocolate and the cream to a saucepan to combine. When the chocolate and the cream are combined, allow to cool.
- If you have some berries, make a coulis by adding the berries to some sugar and water and cook on a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. You can serve it like this, or you can blend it to a smooth sauce. Serve with the coulis and chocolate sauce and a scoop of ice cream. Enjoy!