Eclairs
Ingredients:
Pastry:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
Filling:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Glaze:
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Additional:
These items are not completely necessary but can make life easier!
- Stand mixer
- Piping bags/wide tips (or ziplock bags)
- Skewers or straws
- Wooden spoon
- Lined parchment paper
- Plastic wrap
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I use the lined sheets as guidelines for piping).
Pastry:
- In a saucepan, combine the butter and water. Bring to a boil (I used medium high heat), stir frequently.
- Reduce to low heat and add flour and salt, stirring with a wooden spoon (a wisk is too messy to be used here).
- A doughy mixture will form, remove from heat.
- If you have a stand mixer, move the dough to the mixer and using the paddle attachment, mix on a low setting (helps the dough cool).
- While the mixture is warm, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well to incorporate.
- Once all four eggs are added, you're ready to pipe onto parchment paper.
- I used a zip lock bag as a makeshift piping bag, cut about a dime sized hole in the bag and piped the mixture about 1 inch apart and about 3 inches in length.
- Bake 15 minutes at 450 and then reduce heat to 325. Bake another 20 minutes until golden brown and if you tap the shells, they should sound hollow.
- Puncture the shells as soon as possible with a skewer (or a good sized straw) this allows the steam to escape and provides a handy place to fill.
Filling:
- In a saucepan (2 qt preferred), combine sugar, flour and salt; stir in milk.
- Over medium heat, stir until mixture thickens and boils about 10 minutes.
- Boil for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl using a fork, beat 6 egg yolks.
- Turn the heated milk mixture to medium low heat.
- Beat about 1/4 cup of the heated milk mixture into the yolks, do this very slowly and beat the yolks constantly to avoid scrambled egg.
- Gently pour your tempered egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan, stirring to incorporate.
- Cook over medium low heat, stir until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon well (about 8 minutes).
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.
- You can strain the mixture if needed or desired to remove any lumps (completely optional).
- Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill well about 2 hours (you want the plastic wrap touching the custard).
- Using a mixer (or arm strength) beat heavy/whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold whipped cream into the chilled mixture mix.
Assembly:
- Using a piping bag or zip lock, add finished filling to shells. If you used a straw to make a hole in the shells, this is pretty easy. I try to make sure each shell is well filled.
- You could also cut the shells in half lengthwise and spread the filling.
Glaze:
- Heat 1/4 cup heavy cream until warm but not boiling, pour the cream over about 4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Mix until smooth, spoon over the top of the filled eclairs.
