If there is a good bakery nearby which can supply you with cocktail-sized puffs, by all means buy them and save yourself the trouble. Your time will be better spent making the delicious filling. However, if you insist, here is a reasonably easy way to make puff paste with the help of a food processor.
Profiterole puff dough
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup butter
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1½ tsp. sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. flour
• 4 eggs
1. Put the water, butter, salt, and sugar into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the butter is melted, reduce the heat to a simmer and dump in the flour, all at once. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a smooth, homogeneous ball. Continue stirring and pressing the dough against the sides of the saucepan for about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the dough rest for about 5 minutes.
2. Put the steel blade into the food processor and transfer the dough to the container. Process it for about 20 seconds. Add the eggs and process for about 50 seconds. The dough is now ready to use.
3. To make puffs for profiteroles, butter several large cookie sheets and preheat the oven at 375 degrees. Using a pastry bag or 2 teaspoons, form balls of dough about the size of very small walnuts. If you are not using a pastry bag and have trouble forming smooth balls, butter your hands and roll the balls lightly and quickly between the palms of your hands until their shape is right.
4. Arrange the balls about 1½ inches apart on the buttered sheets and bake them for 20 to 30 minutes; they should be puffed and a light golden brown in color. With the point of a sharp knife, make a little slit in the side of each puff and leave them in a warm, turned-off oven for another 15 to 20 minutes to dry out inside.
5. Slice off the top halves of the puffs, leaving them barely connected at one side so that they can be opened up and stuffed.
6. This recipe makes about 3½ dozen puffs.
Filling
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• ⅓ cut finely chopped marinated mushrooms
• ⅔ cup chopped cooked asparagus
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
• fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1. Combine the chopped eggs, chopped parsley, chopped marinated mushrooms, and chopped asparagus in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter over this mixture and toss it lightly.
2. Add the salt and white wine vinegar, grate plenty of black pepper over it, and toss again or stir carefully until everything is well combined. Taste and add more salt or vinegar if desired.
3. Place a slightly rounded teaspoonful of this filling inside each puff and press the top of the puff down just a bit into the filling so that it stays where it belongs.
4. Serve the cold Cocktail Profiteroles with cocktails (what else?) or with chilled white wine as a first course.
5. makes about 3½ dozen filled puffs.
