bakekrazy

One of the top selling items at the bakery is the eclair. Next to the donut its the next best thing. With a flavorful hard outer shell and a soft center filled with pastry cream this sweet dessert is then  topped with chocolate…….. how can you go wrong

Shell (Pate a Choux) makes approximately 3 dozen eclairs
1 1/2 cup water
1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
8 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line 2 full size sheet pans with parchment paper.
In a medium sauce pan add the butter, water and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the flour all at one time. With a wooden spoon mix continuously until the dough forms and pulls away from the pan. Remove from the stovetop and place the dough into a standing mixer. Mix on high allowing the dough to cool for at least 5 minutes. (you do not want the eggs to cook when added) Slowly add the eggs one at a time when mixing until dough is smooth and all eggs are mixed. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a large 1/2 tip. Pipe long thick 2 1/2″ mounds onto the parchment paper (one way I keep the parchment paper down is to tack a small amount of dough under the parchment paper at the corners) Make them approximately 2″ apart. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 for an additional 15 minutes. They should be golden brown. Allow them to completely cool before filling. They can also be frozen and filled at a later date.

Filling; Pastry Cream is the traditional filling, however you can fill them with just about anything you would like. Here is a pastry cream recipe

2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium sauce pan stir together the milk and 1/4 cup sugar, bring to a boil.
In a bowl which together the egg yolk and egg then stir in 1/3 cup sugar and cornstarch until smooth. Remove the milk mixture from the stovetop and slowly drizzle into the egg mixture while mixing so that the eggs do not cook at that point. Once incorporated return the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil while continuing to mix (you do not want to curdle the eggs. The mixture should thicken, remove from the stovetop and add in the butter and vanilla until completely blended. Pour into a heat safe bowl cover and cool in the refrigerator.

When the pastry cream is completely cold add to a pastry bag fitted with a filling tip. Insert the tip into each end of the eclair shell and fill with pastry cream. Return to the refrigerator.

Ganache Chocolate topping: this is easy to make, place one cup of heavy whipping cream into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Pour the cream over 9 ounces of bittersweet chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Allow to cool and thicken before drizzling or dipping onto your eclair

Enjoy
Chef Brian Klauss