Profiteroles with hazelnut brittle and chocolate shells

To make the hazelnut brittle, first line a baking tray with parchment paper 

Combine the sugar with 75ml water in a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook without stirring for 5-6 minutes, or until you have a rich coloured caramel. You can swirl the pan gently occasionally but don’t stir it 

Stir through the hazelnuts, then pour onto the parchment-lined baking tray

Leave to cool, then crush into small crumbs

To make the choux pastry, first preheat the oven to 200ºC/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper

Combine the water, butter and salt in a saucepan. Gently melt the butter over a low heat without bringing the mixture to the boil (you want the butter to be just melted, and avoid evaporating too much of the water)

Once the butter has melted, bring the mixture up to the boil and tip all the flour into the pan in one go. Remove the pastry from the heat

Use a wooden spoon to beat the mixture as fast as you can, bringing it all together into a dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan

Once the dough starts to pull away, return the choux pastry to the heat and continue cooking and stirring the dough (no need to beat it as frantically at this stage) until an instant read thermometer reads 74°C. A little above this temp is fine as well. If you don’t have a thermometer, continue cooking the dough until the base of the saucepan is covered in a fine film of pastry

Remove the dough from the pan and transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or another bowl if using a wooden spoon) to cool a little. It helps to spread the dough out at this stage to cool it faster

Once the dough reaches 63°C or cooler, it’s time to add the eggs. Lightly beat the eggs together in a jug

Mix the dough on low speed, and gradually beat the eggs into the dough in increments, ensuring each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. It’s unlikely that you will need all of the egg. Keep adding egg until you have a mixture that reluctantly drops from the paddle, leaving a V shape

Dab a few dots of the mixture in each corner of the baking trays to stick the greaseproof paper to the surface of the baking trays

Fill the piping bag with the choux pastry

Place the filled piping bag onto a flat surface and carefully flatten the pastry mixture inside, taking care not to squeeze it out of the bag. Using a pastry scraper or other thin, flat object, gently push the choux pastry down into the bag to remove air bubbles and collect all the dough in one place. Twist the bag at the top and pipe a little of the mixture to remove any air bubbles near the tip

Pipe the choux in walnut-sized blobs onto the prepared baking trays. Use a wet finger to press down any ‘peaks’ on top

Bake for 25 minutes, then swap the trays over on the shelves and bake a further 5 minutes or until golden

Remove from the oven and prick each profiterole with a knife to allow steam to escape and leave to cool

To make the crème pâtissière, first combine the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then immediately remove from the heat

In a bowl, mix together the sugar, egg yolks and two flours until well blended

Pour a third of the warmed milk over the egg mixture and whisk vigorously until smooth

Transfer the milk and egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining warmed milk and place over medium heat

Whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened, taking care not to burn it on the bottom

Set aside with cling film covering the surface until cool enough to fill the profiteroles

To make the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolates and cream in a bain marie

Add the butter and salt and stir until smooth

To assemble the stack, transfer the crème pâtissière to a piping bag and use to fill each profiterole

Place the profiteroles onto a plate in a circle, then stack more on top until you have a pyramid shape

Top with the chocolate sauce, hazelnut brittle and chocolate shells