Marching to the wrong drummer

How many times did you pause The Little Drummer Girl on Sunday evening? The BBC’S John le Carré adaptation is pretty and I’m enjoying the Seventies fripperies (the dresses, the bamboo headboards, the phones!), but last weekend we had to pause it during the opening credits because my mother and I were already confused. Who’s that? How did they get him to Munich? What’s up with the jacket? What’s happened there? Who’s that (again)? And so on. We paused it a further three times during the episode so my little brother (20) could explain what was going on. Are others having the same trouble or are we being exceptionally dim? I know I’m being quite thick since I keep calling it The Little Drummer Boy. Mum said she felt similarly baffled by the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy film. “It was awfully good but I didn’t understand a word.”

Beat immediately and return to a gentle heat to cook out the mixture (the roux) until it comes away from the sides of the pan.

At this point remove from the heat and add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture on to the lined tray, leaving a good 2cm gap between each dollop.

Bake in the oven until they start to rise – about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, pierce the undersides so they don’t collapse and place back in the oven for another three to four minutes to crisp up.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the milk with the cocoa powder, sugar and cream until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and pour this over the chocolate in a large bowl. Mix well to melt the chocolate, then pour through a sieve to strain.

Leave to cool to room temperature.

To serve, slice each profiterole in half and fill with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pour over the chocolate sauce.