Oil profiterole with lemon cream

For Easter, you always have to bring something new to the table! Azzurra Sprinkles Dress has made delicious oil-based cream puffs with lemon cream for us, using our Nostrano extra virgin olive oil in the dough, which is sweet and delicate, suitable for all the sweetest recipes.

"For holidays, whether it's Christmas or Easter, I always like to bring something new and delicious to the table, alongside traditional desserts. For this Easter, I thought of making cream puffs filled with lots of cream and attractively decorated."

"For the cream puffs, I relied on Leonardo Di Carlo's always infallible recipe, and I used the excellent delicate Nostrano extra virgin olive oil from Oleificio Fratelli Vieste (you can find it here) instead of butter, which gave a very subtle aftertaste, perfect in combination with lemon. The result was excellent.
As for the filling, I chose a silky and velvety lemon-scented pastry cream and decorated it with "crowns" of mascarpone chantilly and small pieces of fresh strawberries. So delicious!"

Recipe

FOR THE CREAM PUFFS (for 8 pieces)

• 100 g water
• 45 g delicate extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• 70 g flour
• 120 g whole eggs (about 2)

FOR THE CREAM:

• 3 egg yolks
• 50 g sugar
• 125 ml milk
• 125 ml fresh cream
• 20 g cornstarch
• 20 g butter
• zest of 2 small lemons
• juice of 1/2 lemon

FOR THE MASCARPONE CHANTILLY

• 125 g very cold mascarpone
• 150 ml very cold fresh cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

PREPARATION:

FOR THE CREAM PUFFS

1. In a saucepan, combine water, a pinch of salt, and oil and bring to a simmer.
2. Add the flour all at once, stir, and cook over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes, until it detaches well from the sides of the saucepan and starts to sizzle.
3. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
4. Add the room temperature eggs one at a time, allowing them to incorporate well with a wooden spoon. You should get a firm batter that doesn't drip, similar to a very thick pastry cream.
5. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe 8 portions of dough onto a lightly buttered baking sheet or a silicone mat. With a slightly damp finger, remove the tip which can burn during cooking.
6. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius (static) for 12/15 minutes, then reduce to 180 degrees Celsius and continue for another 12/15 minutes. Never open the oven door. The cream puffs must dry out well, otherwise they will deflate as soon as they are removed from the oven. They are ready when they are well puffed and golden brown. Let them cool.

FOR THE CREAM

1. In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, and grated lemon zest.
2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar, then add cornstarch and a pinch of salt.
3. Pour the hot liquids over the egg yolks, whisk until combined, and bring everything back to the heat. Let it thicken, stirring continuously.
4. Remove from heat and add butter, then lemon juice. Mix well, cover with cling film, and let cool.

FOR THE CHANTILLY

1. Combine mascarpone, cream, and powdered sugar and whisk with electric beaters until you get a firm and thick cream.

FINISHING:

1. Fill the cream puffs with lemon cream (you can either poke a hole in the bottom and squeeze the cream inside with a long filling nozzle, or open them at the top, fill them, and close them). If the cream is too thick, blend it with an immersion blender until it becomes smooth and creamy.
2. Transfer the chantilly to a piping bag with a romias nozzle (or star or whatever you prefer) and pipe dollops onto the top of the cream puffs. You can complete with more cream.
3. Decorate with fresh strawberries and mint leaves.

Some tips:

• Baking the cream puffs is crucial. You will need to adjust based on your oven. For safety, I leave them in the turned-off oven with the door open for a few minutes after baking.
• Unfilled cream puffs can be stored in a tin box or airtight container for a few days. Filled ones in the fridge for a couple of days.