BECAUSE profiteroles are served with a degree of fanfare in restaurants, you might not think of making them at home. Which is a shame; they’re easy and quite a bit of fun, even for a novice. I know this because I made them as a novice, with a recipe much like this one, and I experienced success, elation and praise.

They’re made from choux pastry, the concoction used for éclairs, cream puffs and gougères; it’s butter, water, flour and eggs, cooked briefly on the stove, whisked until your arm hurts, then baked until puffed and golden brown.

You heat butter in water until it melts, add flour, then mix until the batter comes together into a ball, like magic. Then you cool the batter and add eggs one at a time, which is real work, because incorporating them takes elbow grease. Each egg will cause the batter to come apart, and you’re forced to stir until it comes back together. Finally, you have a smooth, thick and creamy paste.

At that point, you pipe or spoon little mounds onto a baking sheet; these will puff up, leaving nice air holes in their center. Cut the profiteroles in half around the equator, then fill with ice cream, sorbet or whipped cream. Many restaurants serve a sauce akin to Hershey’s syrup, which I can do without; I like a simple fruit purée. Definitely less restaurant-y, and more of what I want from a great dessert made at home.