I started experimenting on a Saturday night, late after midnight. I was trying to find the perfect eclairs recipe until the very Sunday dawn! What are the ideal proportions, how much time do they need to bake, what is the secret so that the eggs don’t give a bad smell, what should I do to make them rise properly? French pastry is not a funny story … it’s the most fascinating science. On Sunday afternoon I had the most delicious eclairs that disappear like lightning! That’s actually what it means. The word comes from the French éclair aka “Lightning”!
For the dought
Ingredients
250 gr. water
110 gr . butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
130 gr. flour
4-3 large eggs
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for brushing
Directions
Put water, salt, sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the water boils and the butter melts. When it reaches the boiling poin remove from heat and add flour all at once. Mix thoroughly so that all the moisture leaves from the dough. Put it back again in the fire to evaporate as much water as possible. It must detach from the walls of the pot.
Before adding the eggs, the dough needs to cool thoroughly. To save time you can mix the dough in the mixer in order to drop the temperature. Otherwise let it come to room temperature naturally.
Gradually add the beaten eggs. Every egg must be well absorbed before the next one comes in. This is the most important part of the directions. Stir with whisk or mixer until every egg is well incorporated and then continue with the next small egg dose. You may not need to use all 4 eggs.
Transfer the dough to a pastry piping bag and leave in the fridge for a while. Preheat oven to 220°C and arrange a baking paper on a large pan. Form small sticks, one next to another, leaving enough distance between them because they will rise during baking. Make scratches using a fork along each eclair and then coat it with the egg. The scratches will help the chocolate coating stand better.
Put the pan with the sticks in a preheated oven at 220°C for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes lower the temperature to 190°C, open the oven door and arrange a towel so that it is slightly open. This is the secret so that the egg won’t give a bad smell to your eclairs. But beware: do not open the door completely because they will not rise.
Despite being small in size, eclairs needs 40 minutes baking.
For the pastry cream
Ingredients
500 ml milk
1 vanilla
3 egg yolks
80 gr. cornflour
75 gr. sugar
1 tablespoon butter
200 ml whipped cream
Place all of the milk in a saucepan over medium heat along with the vanilla and half of the sugar. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and cornflour in a bowl until you have a homogeneous mix. Add a little hot milk to the mix, whisk well and then pour over the mixture in remaining milk.
Beat well until the cream thickens. Add butter and stir until you have a smooth cream. Transfer it a bowl, cover the surface with cellophane and leave it in the fridge to cool completely. Once cool stir in the whipped cream to make it fluffy.
Transfer the pastry cream into a piping bag and fill in each eclair.
For the chocolate coating
Ingredients
250 gr. couverture chocolate
A few drops of sunflower oil
Directions
Melt the chocolate in a bain marie (double boiler) and stir in a few drops of oil to make it shiny. Then spread chocolate over eclairs and let it cool.
Serve With Love
