Profiteroles

Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C for fan-assisted ovens). In a saucepan, bring water, butter, salt, and sugar to a boil. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and add all the flour at once. Stir vigorously until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return to low heat and stir for another 1-2 minutes to evaporate excess moisture. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Add the eggs one by one to the dough, mixing thoroughly after each addition until fully incorporated. The dough will initially separate, but continue mixing until it becomes smooth and glossy again. The finished dough should be thick but still soft, slowly falling off a spoon.

Transfer the dough to a piping bag and pipe walnut-sized mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced apart. Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Do not open the oven door! Remove from the oven and poke a small hole in the side of each profiterole to release steam. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

For the filling, whip the cold heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. For the chocolate sauce, break the dark chocolate into a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer, then pour it over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Add the butter and stir until melted and glossy.

Cut the cooled profiteroles in half or fill them with the whipped cream using a piping bag. Arrange them on a serving dish and generously drizzle with the warm chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.