With 2026 well underway and the routine of work, school, and a full diary on many of our minds, a light and refreshing dessert is definitely the way to go to beat those January blues. Annelize Grierson (née le Roux) is a born and bred South African, but having lived in the United Kingdom for almost two decades, she knows how to combine the best of both worlds. This week, she called on a Mzansi favourite (homemade custard) and combined it with a flair of French cuisine (profiteroles pastries) and although it might sound a bit daunting, it is delightfully light and quite easy to make. You can also have a lot of fun with this recipe by substituting the custard with any other sweet delight (such as fresh cream or fruit) and of course, a topping of your choice – Annelize chose melted chocolate.
This versatile recipe is great for a weekend treat and can last a few days in the fridge – if you can resist for that long…
Creamy custard ingredients:
• 1 cup milk
• 125ml cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs, yolks only
• 80g caster sugar
• 2 level tsp cornflour
Method for custard:
1. Slowly bring the milk and cream to simmering point over low heat
2. Whisk the yolks, sugar, vanilla extract and cornflour together in a bowl until well blended
3. Pour the hot milk and cream onto the eggs and sugar, whisking all the time with a balloon whisk
4. Return to the pan, and over a low heat gently stir until thickened
5. Pour the custard into a jug and let cool to room temperature
Profiterole ingredients:
• 50g butter
• 125ml water
• 120g all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
• Chocolate – for topping
Method for pastry:
1. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When mostly melted, add water and bring to a rapid simmer
2. While liquid is simmering, add flour and stir vigorously (still on stove) until the dough forms sort of a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pot
3. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for 10 minutes
4. Preheat oven to 220°C
5. Lightly grease a baking tray with butter, then line with baking paper
6. Add eggs batter, beat until combined. Dough should become a thick paste
7. Spoon blobs of dough approximately 2 tsp in size, about 5cm apart, on the baking paper
8. Bake for 15 minutes
9. Remove from the oven and reduce heat to 180°C. The profiteroles should be crispy enough that when pierced, they will not collapse – if not, return to oven for 3 minutes
10. Pierce pastry balls with knife, then return to oven for 5 – 7 minutes until golden and crispy
11. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave 4x30 seconds, stirring in-between, until melted.
12. Cool pastry fully, make holes on the side of the pastry and fill with custard. Drizzle with melted chocolate and serve!
