February 3, 2016
Rob
1

Chocolate éclairs

I think the most common new year’s resolutions are “I need to quit smoking” and “I need to lose weight” . Well, the former is way easier in France, because pastry chefs have got you covered with desserts until Easter. When Christmas is over, it is time for galettes des rois throughout January; then in February it’s crêpes day, then it’s Carnival with mardi gras and many regional fried pastries, and finally you get to eat chocolate eggs for Easter.

It is not an easy living, believe me! Especially if, in addition to all that, you also eat your own desserts like me! 🙂

After the massive pastries during Christmas, I chose to make a simple and (somewhat) light dessert: chocolate éclairs!

Recipe-Chocolate eclairs-04

Choux pastry is very versatile and can be used for many pastries, from a simple cream puff to a stunning St. Honoré cake.

The “long cousin” of the cream puff is the éclair, one of the most common pastries here in France.

For éclairs, the choux pastry is piped in thick stripes about 10-12cm long.

Recipe-Chocolate eclairs-01

The baked pastries are then filled and glazed like choux. The standard (read “old-fashioned”) glaze is fondant, but recently a new breed of pastry chefs like Christophe Adam finally started experimenting and reinventing the top decoration of éclairs.

As for these chocolate éclairs, I chose to glaze them with a mirror glaze (a leftover from the Trianon, my favourite cake), don’t they look classy and modern? 🙂

Recipe-Chocolate eclairs-01-2

And the cream… oh, the cream! The best chocolate cream I’ve tried so far: unlike other pastry creams where chocolate is incorporated and melted directly at the end, this recipe features a standard pastry cream with the addition of a ganache. The result is richer, with a distinguishable flavour of chocolate. I loved these éclairs!

Recipe-Chocolate eclairs-03

 

Chocolate éclairs

Print recipe

Ingredients

Pâte à choux

72gWater
72gMilk
3gSalt
65gUnsalted butter
90gBread flour
150gEggs (~3 eggs)

Ganache

90gMilk
80gCouverture chocolate (40%)
50gCouverture chocolate (70%)

Chocolate pastry cream

35gEgg yolks (almost 2 egg yolks)
30gGranulated sugar
16gCornstarch
6gCocoa powder
320gMilk

Chocolate mirror glaze

50gWater
140gGranulated sugar
45gCocoa powder
95gHeavy cream
6gSheet gelatin (= 3 x 2g sheets)

Directions

Chocolate mirror glaze

1
Prepare the chocolate mirror glaze the day before using: soften the gelatin in cold water and in the meantime prepare a syrup by bringing the water and sugar to a boil on medium heat
2
Add the sifted cocoa powder and whisk
3
Brink the heavy cream to a boil
4
Incorporate the cream in the cocoa sugar syrup
5
Add the softened gelatin and whisk until it is dissolved. Store refrigerated in an airtight container overnight.

Pâte à choux

6
Bring to a boil the milk, water, salt and butter in a saucepan. Make the sure the butter is fully melted.
7
Remove from the heat and immediately add all the flour
8
Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon then put the pan back on the heat and continue stirring the dough
9
Keep drying the dough up on the heat only for a few minutes until it comes away from the sides of the pan and leaves a thin film on the bottom of the saucepan
10
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and let it cool down for a few minutes
11
Add an egg and stir until it is completely absorbed in the dough
12
Add all the other eggs one at a time. Slightly beat the last egg before adding it then pour it slowly little by little on the dough, checking frequently if the dough has reached the right consistency
13
When the dough is shiny but firm (i.e. not runny), it is ready to be piped. Pipe 11cm stripes using a plain or a star tip on an oven tray.
14
Optional: brush with egg wash for an even colour
15
Bake at 170°C for at least 40 minutes or until the éclairs are dry and not too soft.

Chocolate ganache

16
Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan then pour it in three times over the chocolate, stirring every time
17
Continue stirring with a spatula until all the chocolate is melted. Try to incorporate as little air as possible. Refrigerate for at least four hours.

Chocolate pastry cream

18
Heat the milk with half of the sugar and the vanilla bean in a saucepan
19
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cocoa powder and corn starch
20
When the milk is boiling, pour it in three times over the egg mixture through a strainer and quickly mix every time to prevent the yolks from curdling
21
Put back the liquid mixture into the saucepan and cook on medium heat whisking continuously
22
Allow the pastry cream to boil for 2 minutes then remove from the heat
23
Incorporate the chocolate ganache
24
Pour the cream in a large container then cover it with plastic wrap and store in the fridge

Filling the éclairs

25
Make three holes on the bottom of the baked éclairs with the tip of a knife
26
Fill the éclairs with a piping bag. Fill them until they become "heavy" in your hand, but not too much, otherwise they might crack.
27
Take one éclair and dip its top part in the mirror glaze for a couple of seconds
28
Quickly lift the éclair and let the excess glaze fall down

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