Profiteroles with Kuromitsu and Kinako (プロフィットロール 黒蜜きなこ)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy saucepan
• •Wooden spoon, or stand mixer with paddle attachment
• •Piping bag with plain 1/2-inch tip, or a sturdy zip-top bag with one corner cut
• •Parchment-lined baking sheets
• •Wire rack
• •Small saucepan for kuromitsu
• •Fine sieve for kinako

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oven

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment. If you want very even puffs, mark eighteen circles about 1 1/2 inches across on the underside of the parchment, then turn it over. Choux rises by water vapor, not baking powder, so the oven must be fully hot before the dough goes in. A slow start lets the paste spread before the shell sets.

   Give the oven time to heat properly. The first heat is structure, not speed.
2. 2

   Cook the paste

   Put the water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring them to a full boil. Add the flour all at once and stir hard with a wooden spoon until the paste gathers into a smooth ball. Keep cooking over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, pressing and turning it, until it pulls cleanly from the pan and leaves a thin film on the bottom. This dries the dough and cooks the starch so it can take the eggs. If you leave it too wet, the puffs spread low and sulk on the tray.

3. 3

   Work in eggs

   Transfer the hot paste to a mixing bowl and beat it for 1 minute to release some heat. Add the beaten eggs in four additions, beating well after each one. At first the dough will look broken and slippery. Keep going. Stop when it turns glossy and falls from the spoon in a thick V-shaped ribbon. You may not need the last spoonful of egg. Too much egg makes the dough run; too little keeps it heavy. The ribbon tells the truth better than the measuring cup.

   The eggs bring both lift and structure. Their moisture opens the shell, and their protein helps it set around the hollow.
4. 4

   Pipe the puffs

   Scrape the dough into a piping bag fitted with a plain 1/2-inch tip, or use a sturdy zip-top bag with one corner cut cleanly. Pipe eighteen mounds about 1 1/2 inches wide, leaving space between them. Smooth any sharp peaks with a wet fingertip. A peak browns before the shell is baked, and even mounds finish at the same pace.

5. 5

   Bake the shells

   Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then lower the oven to 375°F (190°C) without opening the door. Bake 18 to 22 minutes more, until the shells are deep golden, firm, and light for their size. Don't open the oven early. A rush of cool air collapses walls that haven't set yet. Inside each puff, moisture is pushing the paste open; outside, the egg and flour are making the wall that will hold it.

6. 6

   Dry and cool

   Pierce each shell near the side or bottom with a skewer or the tip of a small knife. Return the tray to the turned-off oven with the door cracked for 5 minutes, then cool the shells completely on a rack. The small hole lets trapped moisture escape, so the shell stays crisp instead of softening from the inside. Cool means cool all the way through, not merely polite to the touch.

7. 7

   Make kuromitsu

   While the shells cool, put the kokutō, water, and salt in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer 3 to 5 minutes until glossy and slightly thicker than maple syrup. It will thicken as it cools. Strain if there are sandy bits and let it cool completely. Don't boil it hard; scorched kokutō turns bitter and will bully the cream.

   Kokutō has a mineral, almost smoky depth. Dark muscovado is a sensible stand-in when kokutō is out of reach, but it isn't the same sugar.
8. 8

   Whip the cream

   Whip the cold cream with the confectioners' sugar and pinch of salt until it holds medium-firm peaks. The cream should stand up in the piping bag but still look smooth, with the tip of the peak bending slightly. Overwhipped cream feels heavy and grainy. Loose cream leaks into the shell and steals the hollow you made.

9. 9

   Fill the shells

   When the shells are completely cool, either cut a small cap from each one or pierce the bottom with the piping tip. Pipe in the cream until each shell feels full but not strained. Fill close to serving time. A warm shell melts the cream, and even a cool filled shell will soften if it waits too long.

10. 10

    Plate and finish

    Stir the kinako with the optional fine sugar if you want a softer finish. Spoon a thin line or small pool of kuromitsu onto each small plate, set three puffs slightly off-center, and drizzle lightly with more syrup. Sift the kinako over the tops just before serving, because kinako drinks moisture quickly and darkens where it lands on syrup. Serve with tea, and leave the plate room to breathe.

Chef Tips

• •Buy kokutō if you can, especially from Okinawa. It should taste dark, mineral, and alive, not merely sweet. If all you have is ordinary brown sugar, make another dessert or accept that the kuromitsu will be thinner in character.
• •Kinako goes stale quietly. Smell it before you use it; fresh kinako is warm and nutty, while old kinako smells flat, like a paper bag. Buy a small packet and keep the rest cold.
• •Judge the choux by the dough, not by the clock alone. The pan film tells you it has dried enough, and the V-shaped ribbon tells you the eggs are right. Those two signs are the first secret.
• •Fill the puffs late and dust the kinako last. Crisp shell, cool cream, glossy syrup, dry roasted flour: each part has its own texture, and crowding them too early makes them all the same.

Advance Preparation

• •The kuromitsu can be made up to 2 weeks ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently just until pourable, then cool it before it touches the cream.
• •The choux shells can be baked 1 day ahead. Keep them airtight once fully cool, then re-crisp in a 325°F (165°C) oven for 5 to 8 minutes and cool again before filling.
• •The cream can be whipped 2 hours ahead and kept refrigerated in the piping bag. Fill the shells as close to serving as the evening allows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)