Always want to try something new. Something I’ve never tried. Love baking challenges! For some eclair may not be a challenge but they are so many things I need to learn. And every first time is a challenge. Sometimes successful… sometimes not. But as you can see these ones were a success! They are just
the best eclair I have ever tried!
If you like eclairs I really suggest you try these. Finally it was pretty easy and the final result just amazing!
You will need to make some choux pastry, crème pâtissière and chocolate ganache.
Let’s first start with the crème pâtissière. You will need:
480ml milk
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
70g sugar
40g cornstarch
15g unsalted butter
In a bowl mix together egg yolks and sugar until light yellow. Then add cornstarch and mix until incorporated. In a saucepan heat the milk. But don’t let it boil. Add 1/3 of the milk in the egg mixture. Incorporate. Then add it to the rest of the milk while mixing with a wooden spoon. Now put it back on a medium heat. Don’t stop mixing! Let it boil and mix until it thickens. Then remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Incorporate. Put the crème pâtissière in a glass bowl, add the butter and mix until it melts. Now cover firmly.
First stage completed!
Now the choux pastry. For around 10-12 eclairs you will need:
4 eggs
125g of flour
100ml milk
100ml water
10g of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
80g unsalted butter
Preheat the oven at 180°C. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper.
Preparing this kind of dough was a lot of fun I think. Pretty different from everything I’ve done before.
Put milk, water, butte, salt and sugar in a saucepan and it goes over medium heat. Mix it and let it boil. Then remove from the heat, add the sifted flour and mix quickly with a wooden spoon till mixture homogenous. Now put it back on low heat for about minute or two and continue stirring. Your dough is ready to go in a bowl where you will add to it the eggs. One at a time. And mix with the spoon until incorporated.
When ready put the dough in a pastry bag with 1cm round or star tip. Pipe 10-12cm long strips on the baking paper. Leave enough space between them . Egg wash and put in the oven.
Bake 40 minutes. After first 10 minutes have passed open slightly the oven door (around 2-3cm) and leave it like this for the next 30 minutes. It will let the steam escape.
When golden brown put them out of the oven. Make a small whole with a toothpick in each of them. It’s again for the steam inside. Let them cool completely.
This is how they should look like from the inside.
Mhm… enough space for a loooot of crème pâtissière. Then let’s start filling them. Now these are the tips I used.
Right one I used for piping my eclairs. And the left one for filling them.
Now take the left and make with it three small wholes in the bottom of each eclair.
This is where we are going to fill them through. Then the crème pâtissière goes in a pastry bag with the same tip and start filling.
When filled put each eclair upside-down so the filling hardens inside.
Time for chocolate ganache.
Prepare:
200g of dark chocolate
155ml of whipping cream
At first I was used to prepare my ganache with heavy cream. They say there’s no big difference between it and whipping cream. But I think I prefer the second one. But if you have some heavy cream you can use it.
Now your cream goes in a saucepan and you heat it without letting it to boil.
Pour it over the chocolate and leave it for a minute or two. Then start stirring till the ganache is ready.
And now dip the top of each eclair and leave it to set.
And here we go! Dessert time is always best, don’t you think?
Hope you enjoyed it.
See you later!
Bon Appétit!
Christina
The Secret Life Of A Peach 