Cornish clotted cream profiteroles with dark chocolate sauce

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 210C/190C Fan/Gas 5. Place a steep-sided tray in the base of the oven.

2. To make the pastry, combine 125ml/4fl oz water with the salt and butter in a pan. Bring to a boil and allow the butter to melt. As soon as mixture comes to the boil, remove from the heat and add the sifted flour. Beat over a low-medium heat until the pastry comes together into a glossy ball.

3. Allow the pastry to cool a little, then beat in the egg a little at a time. Make sure each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. When all the egg is beaten into the pastry, place the choux into a piping bag with a star or plain nozzle.

4. Pipe the pastry onto a silicone mat. You can dab down any sharp edges with a bit of cold water to smooth them over. Each profiterole should be about 4cm/1in wide.

5. Place into the oven, and immediately pour a good amount of water into the prepared tray at the bottom. Bake for 20–25 minutes, then turn the profiteroles over. If they feel dry to the touch, take them out, then turn the oven down to 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1. Poke little holes in the bottom of the choux and return to the oven upside-down for 2–3 minutes to dry out completely. Remove, allow to cool, then place in a container until ready to use.

6. For the dark chocolate sauce, start by blooming the gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes.

7. Combine the sugar and 140g/5oz of water in a pan. Bring to the boil and allow the sugar to dissolve into the water, then add the cream and cocoa powder and whisk to combine. Simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatine.

8. Combine the dark chocolate and salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and salt, and allow everything to melt together. Give it a good whisk to emulsify, then pass through a sieve and keep warm.

9. Combine the clotted cream and 25g/1oz of the double cream and whisk together to loosen the clotted cream a little. Add the remaining cream along with the sifted icing sugar and orange liqueur. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add to the mixture.

10. Whisk the mixture to just under soft peak stage, then place into a piping bag with a straight nozzle and store in the fridge.

11. Pipe the clotted cream mixture into the profiteroles. Stack the profiteroles in a large bowl, and pour over the warm chocolate sauce. Finish with the orange zest.