If you have a pastry bag and large round tip, it is perfectly suited for piping the pâte à choux dough into éclairs. If not, you can use a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Add the warm dough to the bag, close the top, and then snip off a small corner of the bag. Both methods can be used to create beautifully shaped éclairs. Pâte à choux dough freezes amazingly well. You can pipe the éclairs on a sheet of parchment or freezer paper and freeze them overnight before moving them to a a freezer bag for longterm storage. They can be baked directly from their frozen state, simply add 4-6 minutes to the baking time.
Course: Dessert
Servings: 8
Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm
Ingredients
For the Pâte à Choux Dough
4ounces8 Tablespoons butter
8ounces1 cup whole milk
¼teaspoonsalt
1c120 grams All-purpose flour
4large eggs
For the Pastry Cream
12ounces1 ½ cups whole milk
2large eggs
6Tablespoons72 grams granulated sugar
¼cup30 grams All-purpose flour
1pinchsalt
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache
3ouncesheavy cream
4ouncesbittersweet chocolatechopped
Instructions
For the Pâte à Choux Dough:
Position oven racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper.
Measure the flour into a small bowl. Crack all of the eggs into another bowl and set aside until they are needed.
Combine the milk, butter, and salt in a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Monitor the mixture closely, stirring often, to avoid scorching. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and add the flour in one addition. Stir rapidly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together to form a ball. Continue to stir continuously for two minutes until the dough is completely smooth and leaves a film on the bottom of the pot. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for five minutes.
Once the five minutes have elapsed, add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. With the addition of each egg, the dough will break. This is normal; rest assured that the dough will be perfectly smooth by the time the fourth egg is incorporated.
Using a pastry bag with a large round tip (or a plastic food storage bag prepared as described above), pipe the dough onto the prepared sheets in strips that measure approximately 1 1/2 inches wide by 4 inches long.
Transfer the baking sheets to the preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Rotate the baking sheets and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom.
Remove the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely. Pierce each éclair with a toothpick or skewer to allow steam to escape while cooling. This will allow the pastry to cool without deflating.
For the Pastry Cream:
Place the whole milk in a medium saucepan. Heat the milk over medium heat until small bubbles appear.
As the milk is warming, combine the eggs with the sugar, flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. The resulting batter should be thick and smooth.
Move the pan of milk from the burner. Slowly add the egg mixture, whisking to incorporate the thick batter into the warm milk.
Return the pan to medium low heat and bring to a simmer, whisking continuously until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove from the heat.
Transfer the pastry cream from the pan (straining if necessary to remove lumps) to a bowl. Add the vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing it firmly against the mixture to prevent a skin from forming as it cools. Refrigerate until the éclairs are ready to be assembled.
For the Ganache:
Warm the heavy cream in a small pan over low heat or in the microwave in 30 second increments. Add the chocolate and allow to rest for two minutes. Whisk to incorporate. When the cream and chocolate have become a satiny glaze, set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. The mixture will thicken as it cools to room temperature.
Assemble the Éclairs:
Add the chilled pastry cream to a pastry bag with a large round tip or a plastic food storage bag. Place the tip into the end of an éclair and squeeze gently to fill. The éclair can also be split horizontally using a sharp knife before spooning the pastry cream over the surface of the bottom half and covering with the top half. Dress the filled éclair with the ganache, spreading it to cover the top surface of the éclair. Serve immediately or refrigerate briefly before serving.