Talk:Profiterole

Article Name

I suggest that this article be renamed Profiterole with a redirect for 'cream puff' as this is the general name known worldwide outside of the US. --Brideshead 11:21, 24 December 2006 (UTC)

I moved the article to reflect the most widespread nomenclature. I also removed some over-specific items related to a state fair? I corrected all of the directed links --Brideshead 17:27, 24 December 2006 (UTC)

History

The article used to say that profiteroles were "said to have been created by Poelini, a chef to Catherine de Medici; it was then brought over to France in the 16th century". Several problems here:

• Who is this Poelini?
• The profiterole in its current form (choux pastry filled with cream) is not attested anywhere near that long ago; instead, it appears to have been a kind of small bread roll without much crumb cooked in the ashes of a fire (Littré).
• The word (whatever it meant) is attested in English in 1515 (OED), before Catherine de' Medici was born.

As for the business about debuting in the US at the Wisconsin State Fair in 1924, this is highly dubious. French cooking was widely appreciated in the US in the 19th century, and it doesn't seem likely that profiteroles were introduced that late, or in such a provincial setting. --Macrakis 22:34, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

commercialisation

I removed this entire section, it read as an advert, highlghted specific companies and favoured one jurisdiction. It added nothing to the article. --www.secularism.org.uk 19:42, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

I don't follow your logic. I find it interesting that Profiteroles/Cream puffs are the featured food of a chain, just as McDonald's and Burger King are interesting in discussing hamburgers, Dunkin' Donuts in discussing doughnuts, etc.. The specific companies are relevant. As for "favoured one jurisdiction", I look forward to hearing about any profiterole chains you know about in Uruguay, Kenya, or Bhutan.... --Macrakis 19:51, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

Definition of Profiterole

To say that "The term profiterole refers to a filling of ice cream" is entirely incorrect. Profiteroles never, traditionally, contain ice cream...is this an American invention?

The correct filling ought to be Creme patissiere. If someone would be so kind as to edit as, whenever I do, someone always changes it back!

Merci, aurevoir. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.159.18.14 (talk) 21:55, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I have checked French cookbooks, and they mostly mention ice cream, but also whipped cream (crème chantilly). If it's filled with creme patissière, I think the usual term is chou à la crème. But there is no doubt some variation in terminology. By the way, the French Wikipedia says they're filled with ice cream. --macrakis (talk) 22:24, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I thoroughly agree the "ice cream filling" is made-up nonsense. Just pastry creme in there... In Holland for example, they are served only with whipped creme filling (and under varying names) while imitating the French example. In Belgium always pastry cream filling (as suits their typically conservative cuisine -- conservative is meant neutrally, for example it still has the sweet-sour medieval taste pattern lost in France and Italy). 94.169.249.202 (talk) 18:03, 6 February 2010 (UTC)

Many Inaccuracies

Ice cream should be noted as largely a North Americanism. The French wiki entry may say that, but I'd hardly use a wikipedia as an authoritative source, and don't forget, the anonymous person who appended the word "glacé" to "crème" may well have been a Québécois.

The term Profiterole refers to the baked pastry ball, irrespective of any filling. The fillings can even be purées of meat or game. But you don't have to take my word on any of this -- just haul out your Larousse Gastronomique where it's all defined.

Gougères are NOT the savoury equivalent of profiteroles. That should be a see also instead.

Randal Oulton (talk) 07:31, 7 January 2010 (UTC)

Re: gougeres, agree and carried out. Richigi (talk) 01:06, 17 November 2012 (UTC)

I am British and would never expect to have ice-cream in a Profiterole, only a form of cream. My French friends and collegues have expressed dismay when served cold (room temperature) profiteroles which are served with cream (i.e. they expect them served immediately and still warm). I dread to think what they would say if they were below room temperature due to the inclusion of ice cream. Therefore I think the definition of a profiterole in common usage clearly varies between North America and Europe. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.159.121.206 (talk) 23:42, 13 February 2010 (UTC)

In the UK they're sometimes filled with a cold custard flavoured with chocolate or maybe coffee, if I recall rightly. Ben Finn (talk) 12:29, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

I'm very interested in this filling question. I too thought that profiteroles (in France, at least) would be filled with creme patissiere. But my sister, who spends a lot of time in Paris and Lyon, says she expects (and gets) ice cream when she orders a profiterole in France. It is quite likely warm pastry, but obviously the filling would be icy. Maybe the current trend is different from traditional? I'd really like to get it clarified for the purpose of differentiating, if possible, all the many sorts of patisserie made with pate a choux. Religieuse, for example, is described as a kind of eclair. Why isn't it a kind of profiterole? It's round, not oblong. Same with moorkop, now being recommended for merge with eclair. It's confusing, and makes it difficult to proceed with edits. Anyone have any authoritative sources? I'm well-aware my sister is not one. Richigi (talk) 00:39, 17 November 2012 (UTC)

Dang. Now I see above where Randal Oulton says look it up in Larousse Gastronomique. Pretty authoritative. Je vais le faire. Richigi (talk) 03:35, 17 November 2012 (UTC)

Cream puff record

I cut this bit because the cream puff that won the record is nothing like a profiterole - it's a differently shaped pastry: The record for world's largest cream puff, weighing in at 125.5 pounds, was achieved August 11, 2011 at the Wisconsin State Fair by Dave Schmidt and Team Cream Puff. The Wisconsin State Fair is known for its dairy bakery that has been producing cream puffs during the fair since 1924. Ben Finn (talk) 12:29, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

References

Assessment comment

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Comment(s)

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Rating as a start class as the lead does not summarize the entire article, the article is a series on single lines, no paragraphs at all. Additionally there is no coherent explanation of the origin of the pastry, it states definition of the term, but does not tell the reader the context of the term other than the soup. It appears where in the 19th century? I see the source, but there should be more explanation. As is this article tells very little to the reader. (unsigned comment by User:Tanner-Christopher, 2007-12-18T07:33:01) The lead reads "A profiterole or cream puff (U.S.) is a food made from a small, round baked choux pastry filled with a sweet filling." In what way is that not a summary? There is "no coherent explanation of the origin of the pastry" simply because it is not known; however, this article gives more historical information than the article in the Oxford Companion to Food, which is generally considered a good reference. The role of WP is not original research, but reporting on the state of knowledge. If things are unknown about a subject, it is not the article that is deficient, but the state of knowledge about it. --Macrakis (talk) 04:49, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

Last edited at 04:50, 20 December 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 03:25, 30 April 2016 (UTC)