Eclairs extravaganza bach style

Chocolate Eclairs

Eat Up New Zealand: The Bach Edition by Al Brown is a revised edition of Al’s iconic book Eat Up New Zealand. This book includes more than 150 delicious recipes especially aimed at easy bach living.

I have had a lifelong addiction to chocolate eclairs. They are probably my favourite of all the whipped-cream-filled baked goods produced and loved by Kiwis. I am quite particular, and I’m sure a bunch of people will disagree, but my favourite glaze is and will always be a classic, buttery, bog-standard chocolate icing. Many prefer a real chocolate ganache, but I think that makes them a bit posh and for some reason never as nice to eat. The best (and certainly the biggest) eclairs I have found in my travels are from The Chocolate Eclair Shop, down the southern end of the main street in Ohakune. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve pulled over to get my fix.

Makes 12

Ingredients For ECLAIRS

• 1 cup (250ml/9fl oz) water

• 125g (4½oz) butter

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 cup (150g/5½oz) plain flour

• 4 eggs

CHOCOLATE ICING

• 1½ cups (185 g/6½ oz) icing sugar

• 50g (1¼ oz) unsalted butter, softened

• 2 tablespoons good-quality cocoa

• 3 tablespoons boiling water

TO ASSEMBLE

• 2 cups (500 ml/17 fl oz) cream

• 2 tablespoons icing sugar

• 2 drops vanilla essence

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

To make the eclair pastry, place the water, butter, salt and sugar into a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring up to a simmer, then whisk in the flour. Once a dough starts to form, swap the whisk for a wooden spoon. Cook out the dough for a minute or so, stirring continuously, then remove from the heat.

One by one, beat in the eggs until the dough is smooth and sticky. Place in a piping bag with a large nozzle.

Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper. Pipe out your 12 eclairs, making sure you leave about 2 cm (¾ in) between each. Place in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes, until golden brown and crisp to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the chocolate icing, beat the icing sugar and softened butter together, using an electric mixer, until smooth. Slowly add the cocoa and boiling water, a bit at a time, while continuously whisking. Adjust the thickness of the icing using more or less boiling water. It should be quite thick, but still spreadable.

Whisk the cream, icing sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl to semi-stiff peaks. Slice your cooled eclairs lengthways, then ice them, and set aside to allow the icing to set. Fill with lashings of whipped cream. Serve immediately if you like your eclairs crisp or refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow them to soften.

Recipes extracted from Eat Up New Zealand: The Bach Edition by Al Brown, photography by Josh Griggs, published by Allen & Unwin NZ, RRP $49.99.