Savory Profiteroles

To prepare the savory profiteroles, start by making the choux pastry: place a saucepan on the stove, add the butter, water, sugar, and a pinch of salt, and mix everything with a whisk. Once it reaches a boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the sifted flour. Continue cooking, stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon, and when the mixture completely detaches from the pot, remove from heat and let it cool on a plate. Once cooled, place the mixture in a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment (alternatively, you can do this operation with a wooden spoon in a bowl, mixing vigorously), and add the eggs one at a time, making sure to add the next one only when the previous one has been completely absorbed by the dough 1. In the end, you should obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture; transfer it into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and form small mounds of dough spaced apart on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper 2. Bake in a preheated static oven at 340°F-350°F for 30-35 minutes (if using a convection oven, 300°F-310°F for 25-30 minutes). Once the cooking time has elapsed, leave the profiteroles in the open oven to dry: they should be light and crispy 3. To find out how to best prepare and store the profiteroles, consult the recipe: choux pastry.

Meanwhile, prepare the creams with which you will fill the profiteroles, starting with the ham cream: place the fresh spreadable cheese and slices of cooked ham in a blender 4, add the basil and mint leaves 5, and season with a drizzle of oil 6.

Add the milk in a thin stream 7, season with salt and pepper to taste, and blend until you obtain a thick and homogeneous cream 8. Transfer the cream to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and store it in the fridge until ready to use 9.

Now focus on the goat cheese cream: pour the fresh dill and goat cheese into the cup of a blender 10 and blend until you obtain a thick and homogeneous cream. Then season with salt and pepper to taste 11, add a drizzle of oil, and then grate half of a lemon's zest 12.

Blend again to combine everything 13 and then transfer the goat cheese cream to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge until ready to use 14. You can also transfer both creams directly into pastry bags and let them cool in the refrigerator 15.

At this point, proceed with cleaning the shrimp, with which you will season part of the profiteroles. If using fresh shrimp, rinse them thoroughly under running water, then remove the heads by pressing and pulling with your fingers 16. Then detach the legs and remove the shells and tails 17. Place the flesh on a cutting board, slightly cut the back with a small knife, and remove the internal intestine 18. To perform this operation best, consult our Cooking School: how to clean shrimp.

Take a non-stick pan, heat a drizzle of oil, and let a peeled garlic clove brown 19. Pour in the peeled shrimp 20 and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until they turn a nice pink 21. Once cooked, let them cool.

Now move on to filling the profiteroles, which should have cooled by now. Place the salami on a cutting board and slice it into fairly thin slices 22, then take the profiteroles and cut them in half with a knife 23, then remove any pastry residues inside with your fingers to make room for the filling 24.

Take the pastry bags with the creams out of the refrigerator: squeeze the ham cream into the profiteroles that you will serve with the salami 25, then place a slice of salami 26 and after spreading some cream on the lid, close the profiterole 27.

Proceed with filling the profiteroles with the shrimp: once cooled, cut the shrimp in half 28, then fill the profiteroles with the goat cheese cream 29 and half a shrimp 30, spread some cream on the lid, and seal the profiterole.

Continue filling the remaining profiteroles with goat cheese cream and a slice of salmon 31 and with cooked ham cream and a slice of bresaola 32. Remember to save one or two slices of salmon and bresaola, which you will use to decorate the dish. To present this dish in a fun and impressive way, you can arrange the filled profiteroles in a pyramid. First, squeeze a drop of cream of your choice onto a rather large serving plate 33.

Then place the filled profiterole on top of the cream drop 34, so it stays stable, and continue with the other profiteroles that will form the base. For example, you can form the first layer of the pyramid with the salami profiteroles and then proceed with those of the other flavors. Once the pyramid is completed, decorate the spaces between one profiterole and another with dollops of cream, perhaps alternating between the cooked ham and goat cheese creams 35, then take the salmon slices you set aside and cut them into strips 36.

Roll the strips to form roses and set aside 37. Do the same with the bresaola slices: cut them into strips 38 and roll them, creating roses 39.

Arrange the salmon and bresaola roses in the pyramid as you like (40-41), and if you want, garnish with some fresh dill sprigs 42. Now all that's left is to serve your savory profiteroles and enjoy them all!