The Classic French Dessert That's A Favorite Of Ina Garten's When Visiting France
In the 1995 remake of "Sabrina," actor Julia Ormond's character says, "Paris is always a good idea." And it appears that Food Network star Ina Garten couldn't agree more. During a visit to the City of Light, where she reported on food at the 2024 Summer Olympics for the "Today Show," the Barefoot Contessa shared an Instagram reel featuring profiteroles, one of the author's favorite Parisian desserts.
The Instagram reel, which garnered over 40,000 likes, focuses on delicate choux pastry puffs filled with what appears to be vanilla ice cream drizzled with dark chocolate, as Garten reacts with delight. Often simply called cream puffs in the States, profiteroles feature a delicate pastry dough of minimal ingredients (called pâte à choux) which is baked into airy puffs, and often filled with whipped cream, vanilla custard, or ice cream.
Where did profiteroles come from?
Though it's difficult to pinpoint the exact birth of profiteroles or cream puffs, it is believed that the pastry was brought to France when Italian noblewoman Catherine de Medici was married to King Henry II in the mid-16th century. Catherine brought with her an entourage of her Italian servants for the celebration, including a baker named Pantanelli who is credited as making the very first puff.
The secret behind a perfect profiterole is choux pastry, a batter-like dough made from butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and milk. When baked, the sweet dough becomes crisp, light, and airy — and perfect for custard-filled profiteroles. This versatile pastry is also the foundation for other sweet and savory treats such as chocolate éclairs, cheesy Gruyère and crab gougères, and even Costco's famous fried churros. Clearly there's a reason the profiterole remains Ina Garten's ultimate dessert recommendation for a romantic meal.