Eclairs

Origin: French

The chocolate that covers the flaky pastry is sweet, but the cream inside the pastry calms the sweet down with a great vanilla coolness that matches well with a cup of coffee.

Makes About: 8-10

Time: Unknown

Difficulty: 4 out of 5 (1 being cookies in a tube - ready bake cookies)

Prep

Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Ingredients - Cream

2 cups milk - whole, 2% or 1% milk

1/2 vanilla bean - split lengthwise and seeded

6 egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon unsalted butter - cold

Pastry

100 ml milk (3.5 oz)

100 ml water (3.5 oz)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup flour - sifted

4 eggs - one at a time

Chocolate Ganache

2/3 cup whipping cream

8 oz baking chocolate

Instructions - Cream

- Step 1 - Gut the Bean

Put 2 cups of milk in a small sauce pan on medium heat.

Split the 1/2 vanilla bean lengthwise down the middle. and scrape the bean clean of all the seeds and put the seeds in the milk.

Bring this mixture to boil and once boiling immediately take off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes till infused. As this is happening you can move to step 2!

- Step 2 - Mix Well

In a medium size bowl add 6 egg yolks and the 2/3 cup of sugar.

The egg whites will not be used, so you can make a white egg omelet, or maybe some Meringues, or maybe a face mask. Whatever you want to do with them.

After you have Incorporated the egg whites and sugar add the 1/4 cup cornstarch and mix well. It will clearly be lighter in color and a little thicker.

- Step 3 - Poor Slowly

After your milk and vanilla bean mixture has infused for the 15 minutes pour a 1/4 cup into the egg mixture and whisk till it is incorporated.

Then poor your egg mixture into the pan that contains the rest of your milk and mix till it if completely combined - it will seem extremely wet and that is okay.

- Step 4 - Thicken it up

Turn the heat on to a medium high heat and whisk your cream constantly until it becomes thick and is at a slow boil. The cream becomes thick quickly once the cream starts to boil slowly, so don't walk away and don't stop whisking.

Once the cream thickens take it off the burner and mix in the 1 tablespoon of cold butter till melted and mixed in.

- Step 5 - Cool

Once the butter is mixed in pour the cream into a bowl and cover in cling wrap pressing it down on top of the cream making sure a skin is not created on top as the cream cools.

Tip: This can cool in the fridge, but can't stay in the fridge longer than a day and shouldn't.

Pastry

- Step 6 - Simmer

In a medium sized pan mix in the 100 ml of milk, the 100 ml of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar and 5 1/2 tablespoons butter on medium heat. Bring to a boil and take off the heat. Move to step 7 quickly.

- Step 7 - Flour and Cook

Put the flour into your wet mixture in the pot. Mix the flour in well till it becomes a dough.

After the mixture becomes solid place it back on the stove on medium heat and heat the dough up for one to two minutes, but don't cook it.

- Step 8 - Add the Eggs

Move your dough into a medium sized bowl and add the first egg. Once incorporated add the next egg and once that is completely mixed in add the next one and mix, and then add the last one and mix well.

Tip: I started to mix this with my hands because my spoon sucks, but I was also able to feel that each egg was mixed well.

Your batter should be sticky and cling to the spoon, but also fall off as well.

- Step 9 - PASTRY BAG!

Spoon your batter into a pastry bag making sure all our batter is in because you won't want to try to get more in there afterward.

I used a star tip, but you can use just the regular tip if you like. Pipe the eclairs onto the parchment paper about two inches apart. They should be about the size of a large hot dog and about 5 to 6 inches long.

Tip: If you twist the end of your piping bag at the end of your eclair the ends don't become elongated and weird. I made 8, but mine were fat.

- Step 10 - Bake!

Place the eclairs in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 F. After the ten minutes open the oven and leave it cracked open with a wooden spoon to let the moister out while the eclairs bake another 30 minutes. (The bake is 40 minutes total; 10 with the door closed and 30 with it ajar.)

If you notice your eclairs getting really dark in color you can take them our because they should be a golden brown color.

- Step 11 - Poke and Cool

Leave the eclairs on the pan as they cool and poke a hole in each end. The hole should not be very big, but just the size of a toothpick.

- Step 12 - Make the Holes

After the eclairs have cooled completely you can turn them over and put three small holes in the bottom of the eclairs. I used a piping tip because this is how you will get the vanilla cream inside.

- Step 13 - PASTRY BAG AGAIN!

Mix your cream till it becomes smooth again. Your cream should be smooth and there should be no lumps.

Like your batter, you are going to want to put all your cream into a piping bag.

Pipe the cream into the eclairs using the three holes you just put in the bottom of your eclair.

You want to fill the eclairs up as much as possible to be sure that the eclair has cream all the way through it. You will feel the weight difference and it is mostly a guessing game. (Unless someone knows a better way, then please let me know.)

Chocolate Ganache

- Step 14 - Warm

In a small sauce pan warm the 2/3 cup whipping cream on 2 or 3. Don't want it boiling, just getting warm.

- Step 15 - Chop and Mix

As your whipping cream is heating up chop up 8 oz of baking chocolate and put it in a wide bowl that you will be able to fit the top of the top of the eclairs in. Look at set 16 if you don't understand. You will want the chocolate chopped up into small bits, so that way it melts evenly and easily from the whipping cream.

Poor the warm whipping cream on top of the chopped chocolate and let sit for a few minutes.

After it has time to sit, stir it up till it becomes a thick chocolate sauce.

- Step 16 - Dip and Cool

Once the chocolate has become a creamy goodness, dip the top of your eclairs into the chocolate covering the top.

Once completely coated place on the wire rack to set.

At this time you are welcome to eat one, the chocolate can just be a bit messy.

- Step 17 - Enjoy

After the chocolate has set and the eclairs are not making a mess they are ready to be presented and enjoyed.

By the way, it is 100% okay to fuck up. I did a few times on my pastry and I just kept trying till I was able to get at least 4 that looks normal.

Baking is a pain in the ass, but that is also why it is so much fun.

Eclairs are kind of hard to get the hang of, but "Home Cooking Adventure" was very helpful. Once I got the hang of the pastry, I was able to make my own fillings once I learned the basics.