My Recipe Book

Chocolate Eclairs

This is the first foreign recipe I tried out. I was inspired after watching an episode of The Great British Baking Show to try more difficult recipes and to develop my technical skills. I let my dad do most of the piping, as he decorated wedding cakes when he was younger. 

Puffy choux dough with delicate custard filling and decadent chocolate glaze, sure to impress your friends and family. Surprisingly, with a bit of practice, this recipe isn't as hard as it appears. It just takes perseverance and unwavering ability to laugh at how absurd your piping looks. Lord knows I wouldn't have survived otherwise. 

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients----

(For the custard filling)

2 Packages of French Vanilla Instant Pudding (Jell-O or equivalent)

1 Pint Whipping Cream

1 C Powdered Sugar 

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

2 C Milk

(For the Chocolate Coating)

1 C Unsweetened Chocolate (Baking Chocolate), Melted

1 Stick Butter, Softened

1 TSP Vanilla

3 TBS Milk

1/4 TSP Salt

2 C Powdered Sugar

(For the Choux Pastry)

3/4 C Salted Butter

1 1/2 C Water

1 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour

1/2 TSP Salt

6 Eggs

How to make the Pastry Cream:

Step One: In a medium sized bowl, mix together the two packages of vanilla pudding mix with the milk. Prepare as stated on the package, then let thicken.

Step Two: In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the whipping cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar together until soft peaks form.

Step Three: Once the pudding has thickened and peaks are formed, gently fold the pudding mix into the whipped cream with a wooden spoon until combined (there should be no light spots).

Once finished, put plastic wrap over the mixing bowl and place it in the fridge until needed. 

How to Make the Chocolate Glaze:

Step One: Melt the chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals, making sure to keep the chocolate from boiling. 

Step Two: Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla. Beat together until completely mixed. Add powdered sugar and salt. Beat together until combined. At this point you can start adding the milk, one TBS at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. The chocolate mixture should be spreadable.

Step Three: Once complete, place aside. Keep at room temperature.

How to Make the Choux Dough:

Prep two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step One: Measure out the butter, water, and salt into a medium-sized saucepan. Melt over medium heat until boiling and butter is completely melted.

Step Two: Add the flour to the pan all at once and immediately start whipping with a wooden spoon or soft spatula. A big ball of dough should form in the middle of your pan. Don't touch it, even if you really, really want to. Trust me.

Let this dough ball cool for about 5 minutes before moving on to the next step. This is to prevent the eggs from cooking in the pan. I mean, no one wants chunks of scrambled egg in their eclairs, do they?

Step Three: Once the dough ball is finished cooling a bit, you can start adding the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, continuously stirring the mixture and checking its consistency. It should be thick enough to hold shape when piped.

((If your dough is too runny, just add more flour until the desired consistency is reached!))

Step Four: Load your dough into a pastry bag. You can pipe the dough into basically whatever shape you want. They will puff up in the oven, allowing you to fill them with the cream you just made! For traditional eclairs, pipe straight lines about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long around 2 inches apart from each other on the baking sheet. For cream puffs, use a round tip in your piping bag to create little circles. Gently pull upward. There should be a little tail. Dip the tips of your fingers into clean water, then tap the tail down to make more uniform puffs.

Bake your eclairs for 25 minutes, allowing to cool completely once baked to a golden brown.

To Assemble:

Gently remove the baked pastry from the sheets. Fit a piping bag with a Bismarck Filling Tip (has a long tip that juts out and into the pastry you are trying to fill) and put your refrigerated custard into the bag. Gently push the piping tip into the bottom of the pastry to make a slight hole. Make one at either end of the pastry. Then, slowly inject the cream into the pastry by putting the tip into one of the holes and pressing gently on the piping bag. Wait about 5 seconds, or until the eclair becomes slightly heavier. Repeat for each of your eclairs.

Once filled, dip each eclair half-way into the chocolate glaze. Shake them gently to get rid of any drips. It should have a glossy finish. :) Repeat for each of your eclairs.

And finally, after all of your hard work, you can enjoy your creations!

Let me know how yours turn out in the comments section! I'd love to hear recommendations on what recipes you want to learn!