With the many patisserie and chocolate shops in Paris, I always found it hard to walk past that perfect chocolate eclair. This filling of chocolate pastry cream makes them all the more appealing and indulgent. I like to cut the eclairs open so they can be filled with a generous amount of the cream. They are the ideal morning or afternoon treat.
Choux pastry
125 ml
Milk
125 ml
Water
100 g
Butter, diced
¼ tsp
Salt
150 g
Flour
4
Eggs
Chocolate custard creme
300 ml
Milk
1 tsp
Vanilla extract
4
Egg yolks
50 g
Caster sugar
1 Tbsp
Cornflour
1 Tbsp
Flour
1 Tbsp
Cocoa powder
75 g
Dark chocolate, chopped or buttons, 70% cacao (Main)
Heat the oven to 210C. To make the choux pastry, heat the milk, water and butter gently until the butter melts. Bring to the boil then stir in salt and flour. Stir until the mixture is smooth, glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan. Allow to cool.
Lightly whisk the eggs, then gradually add a quarter of the egg mix at a time mixing well between each addition. The final mix should just be dropping off the end of a wooden spoon.
Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper, then spoon the mix into a piping bag fitted with a 2cm plain nozzle. Pipe even eclairs, about 10cm long and 2cm wide, leaving space between each one for expansion. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 180C and cook for a further 15 minutes, until golden brown and doubled in size. Allow to cool completely before filling.
Chocolate custard creme
Heat the milk and vanilla and bring to the boil.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale, then stir in cornflour, flour and cacoa. Pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture and whisk until smooth. Return to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick.
Transfer custard to a clean bowl, add the chocolate and mix until melted. Cover the surface with cling film and leave to cool completely.
Chocolate glaze
Heat the cream, sugar and vanilla to boiling point. Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl and slowly pour over the cream mixture, whisking until smooth and glossy.
Cut the eclairs in half lengthways and pipe in the chocolate custard filling. Spread the chocolate glaze over the top of each eclair, then assemble and serve.
