Hi,

You are right: "Profiterole and pate a choux are the same thing."

In the Larousse Gastronomique English edition, here is what is written ab=
out it:

=93Profiterole (Pastry) -- Little balls of chou paste (see DOUGH) piped t=
hrough a
forcing (pastry) bag. These little =E9clairs may, after cooking, be fille=
d with
various substances: game or other pur=E9e, cheese mixtures, etc. or sweet=

custards, jams, etc.
Profiteroles, filed with vanilla custard and iced with caramelized syrup,=
are
used for making Croquembouches and G=E2teaux St. Honor=E9.
Profiteroles with a savoury filling are used to garnish soup
Profiteroles are usually forced through a forcing (pastry) bag with a pla=
in
round nozzle on to a baking tin. They are brushed with egg and baked in a=

moderate oven.
Garnish the Profiteroles with French pastry cream(see CREAM) or sweetened=

whipped cream. Arrange in a pyramid on a dessert platter and pour over Ch=
ocolate
sauce See SAUCE.=94

My mother used to make them all the time. She made them the size of a ten=
nis
ball filled them with sweetened whipped cream or with French pastry cream=
that
we call =93Cr=E8me patissi=E8re=94. She then dusted them with powdered su=
gar and
arranged in a single layer on a serving plate. My mother was a good cook =
and
enjoy it. When we had visitors we always had a choice of two or more dess=
erts.
And these =93Choux =E0 la cr=E8me=94 as we used to call them was often on=
e of the
choices. When I was 13 years old or so, my mother ask me to clean the tab=
le for
her while she continued to entertain her guests. Almost every time I went=
from
the dining room to the kitchen I would eat one of them. I ate so many tha=
t I was
sick during the night and for many years after I could not eat any anymor=
e. But
now I enjoy them again. I made them a few times but I eat too many for my=
own
good. So I do not make them anymore. I would make them somewhat smaller. =
I also
made, with the same dough, the chocolate =E9clairs, which are long and na=
rrow. I
would cover them with chocolate sauce. A friend of mine does them small 1=
- 1=BD
diameter and fills them with all kind of mixtures and serves them as appe=
tizers.
She does discard the top of them.

They are at their best made the same day as the party or meal and filled =
almost
at the last minute. I know Costco has them frozen. They are good but far =
from
the fresh ones with a more crispy texture to the dough.

Fran=E7oise.

DigitalVinyl wrote:

> "Dee Randall" > wrote:
>
> >"Nick Love" did not demonstrate the profiterole even tho the Guide sa=
ys
> >that . He demonstrated pate a choux, but no profiterole =3D=3D
> >Definition: noun [usually plural]
> >a small pastry cake with a cream filling and a covering of chocolate s=
auce,
> >usually served in a pile.
>
> Profiterole and pate a choux are the same thing. I usually see them
> called "profiteroles" when they are filled with ice cream. But the
> recipe for the pastry is the same.
> DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)