Cream Puffs with Ice Cream

This dessert is called Profiteroles throughout France. Sometimes the cream puffs are filled with whipped cream instead of ice cream, but they are always drizzled with chocolate sauce - Profiteroles au Chocolat.

1 recipe Cream Puff dough
Vanilla ice cream
Confectioner's sugar
Chocolate Sauce (recipe below)

Follow the cream puff dough recipe to make tiny round cream puffs - about the size of ping-pong balls. Cool.

To serve, cut the cream puffs in half, fill the bottom halves with a small scoop (about 1-ounce) of the ice cream and cover with the tops. Place 2 to 4 cream puffs on each dessert plate and sift the confectioners' sugar over the cream puffs and decoratively onto the plates. Drizzle each with warm chocolate sauce (see recipe below) and serve immediately.

Chocolate Sauce (ganache):
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips (1 1/3 cups)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Scald the half-and-half and butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat.

Place the chocolate and vanilla in a medium heatproof bowl. Add the hot half-and-half and let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Serve slightly warm. (The sauce can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; rewarm gently before serving.)

Yield: 1 1/2 cups