Éclairs
Choux pastry éclairs filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with dark chocolate glaze. Serves 4.
125ml
60g
70g
1pinch
large3piece
300ml
1piece
3piece
60g
20g
100g
60ml| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 125ml | — | — | |
| 2 | | 60g | — | — | |
| 3 | | 70g | — | — | |
| 4 | | 1pinch | — | — | |
| 5 | | 3piece | large | — | |
| 6 | | 300ml | — | — | |
| 7 | | 1piece | — | — | |
| 8 | | 3piece | — | — | |
| 9 | | 60g | — | — | |
| 10 | | 20g | — | — | |
| 11 | | 100g | — | — | |
| 12 | | 60ml | — | — |
Heat the oven to 200 °C.
Line the baking tray with baking paper.
Measure the water into the medium saucepan.
Water · 125 ml
Add the butter to the saucepan with the water.
Unsalted butter · 60 gSet the saucepan over a medium heat and stir occasionally until the butter has completely melted, then bring to a rolling boil.
Tip all the flour into the boiling liquid at once.
Plain flour · 70 gAdd a pinch of salt to the flour and liquid in the pan.
Salt · 1 pinchBeat vigorously with a wooden spoon over a low heat until the dough comes together into a smooth ball and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pan, then cook for a further minute, stirring constantly, to dry it out.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave the dough to cool for 5 minutes so the eggs will not scramble when added.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl and mix them with a fork until smooth, then add them to the cooled dough a little at a time, working each addition in thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add the last third slowly, checking the dough after each addition.
Egg · 3 piece
Continue beating after the last egg until the dough is smooth, glossy and drops from the spoon in a thick, reluctant ribbon when you lift it.
Spoon the choux pastry dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle.
Pipe 10 cm lengths of dough onto the lined baking tray, spacing them well apart, then wet your fingertip and press down any peaks at the ends.
Slide the baking tray into the oven.
Bake for 25 minutes until the éclairs are deep golden, well risen and feel hollow when tapped on the base — do not open the oven door during baking.
Using oven gloves, remove the tray from the oven.
Pierce one end of each éclair with a cocktail stick to let the steam escape.
Leave the éclairs on the tray at room temperature until completely cold and crisp.
Pour the milk into a second medium saucepan.
Whole milk · 300 mlSplit the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife, and add both the seeds and the pod to the milk.
Vanilla pod · 1 piece
Set the saucepan over a medium heat and warm the milk until it just comes to the boil, then remove from the heat.
Crack the eggs and separate the yolks into the medium bowl, keeping the whites covered in the fridge for another use.
Egg yolks · 3 piece
Add the caster sugar to the yolks.
Caster sugar · 60 gAdd the cornflour to the bowl.
Cornflour · 20 gWhisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour together until thick, smooth and pale.
Discard the vanilla pod, then slowly pour the hot vanilla milk into the yolk mixture in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the yolks from scrambling.
Whisk until the milk and yolk mixture are fully combined and smooth.
Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan.
Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly and vigorously, until the mixture thickens, begins to bubble, and has the consistency of thick pudding — about 3 to 4 minutes.
Pour the pastry cream into a clean medium bowl.
Press a sheet of cling film directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.
Place the covered bowl of pastry cream in the refrigerator.
Leave the pastry cream to chill for at least 1 hour until completely cold and set.
Take the bowl of pastry cream out of the refrigerator.
Uncover the pastry cream and whisk it briefly until smooth and creamy.
Spoon the smooth pastry cream into a clean piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle.
Push the nozzle into the pierced end of each cooled éclair shell and pipe in the pastry cream until you feel resistance and the shell is plump and heavy.
Finely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl.
Dark chocolate · 100 g
Pour the double cream into a small saucepan.
Double cream · 60 ml
Heat the cream over a medium heat until it just comes to the boil.
Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
Leave the cream and chocolate to sit for 1 minute, then stir from the centre outwards until the chocolate has completely melted and the glaze is smooth and glossy.
Leave the chocolate glaze to cool for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly and coats a spoon.
Dip the top of each filled éclair into the chocolate glaze, let the excess drip back into the bowl, then set the éclair back on the tray chocolate-side up.
Leave the éclairs on the tray for 10 minutes until the chocolate glaze has set.
| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | | Heat the oven to 200 °C.⏱ 10 min |
| 2 | — | | Line the baking tray with baking paper.⏱ 20s |
| 3 | 125 ml | | Measure the water into the medium saucepan.⏱ 5sResultWater |
| 4 | 60 g | | Add the butter to the saucepan with the water.⏱ 5sResultWater and unsalted butter |
| 5 | — | | Set the saucepan over a medium heat and stir occasionally until the butter has completely melted, then bring to a rolling boil.⏱ 2 minResultMelted butter and water |
| 6 | 70 g | | Tip all the flour into the boiling liquid at once.⏱ 5sResultMelted butter and water and plain flour |
| 7 | 1 pinch | | Add a pinch of salt to the flour and liquid in the pan.⏱ 5sResultPlain flour mixture |
| 8 | — | | Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon over a low heat until the dough comes together into a smooth ball and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pan, then cook for a further minute, stirring constantly, to dry it out.⏱ 1 minResultChoux panade |
| 9 | — | | Remove the pan from the heat and leave the dough to cool for 5 minutes so the eggs will not scramble when added.⏱ 5 minResultCooled choux panade |
| 10 | 3 piece | | Crack the eggs into a small bowl and mix them with a fork until smooth, then add them to the cooled dough a little at a time, working each addition in thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add the last third slowly, checking the dough after each addition.⏱ 10sResultCooled choux panade and egg |
| 11 | — | | Continue beating after the last egg until the dough is smooth, glossy and drops from the spoon in a thick, reluctant ribbon when you lift it.⏱ 2 minResultChoux pastry dough |
| 12 | Choux pastry doughstep 11 | | Spoon the choux pastry dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle.⏱ 20sResultChoux pastry dough |
| 13 | Choux pastry doughstep 12 | | Pipe 10 cm lengths of dough onto the lined baking tray, spacing them well apart, then wet your fingertip and press down any peaks at the ends.⏱ 1 minResultPiped choux fingers |
| 14 | — | | Slide the baking tray into the oven.⏱ 10sResultPiped choux fingers |
| 15 | — | | Bake for 25 minutes until the éclairs are deep golden, well risen and feel hollow when tapped on the base — do not open the oven door during baking.⏱ 25 minResultBaked éclair shells |
| 16 | — | | Using oven gloves, remove the tray from the oven.⏱ 10sResultBaked éclair shells |
| 17 | — | | Pierce one end of each éclair with a cocktail stick to let the steam escape.⏱ 1 minResultVented éclair shells |
| 18 | — | | Leave the éclairs on the tray at room temperature until completely cold and crisp.⏱ 30 minResultCooled éclair shells |
| 19 | 300 ml | | Pour the milk into a second medium saucepan.⏱ 5sResultWhole milk |
| 20 | 1 piece | | Split the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife, and add both the seeds and the pod to the milk.⏱ 20sResultVanilla pod and whole milk |
| 21 | — | | Set the saucepan over a medium heat and warm the milk until it just comes to the boil, then remove from the heat.⏱ 4 minResultWarm vanilla milkused in step 26 |
| 22 | 3 piece | | Crack the eggs and separate the yolks into the medium bowl, keeping the whites covered in the fridge for another use.⏱ 10sResultEgg yolks |
| 23 | 60 g | | Add the caster sugar to the yolks.⏱ 5sResultEgg yolks and caster sugar |
| 24 | 20 g | | Add the cornflour to the bowl.⏱ 5sResultEgg yolks and caster sugar and cornflour |
| 25 | — | | Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour together until thick, smooth and pale.⏱ 1 minResultPale yolk mixture |
| 26 | Warm vanilla milkstep 21 | | Discard the vanilla pod, then slowly pour the hot vanilla milk into the yolk mixture in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent the yolks from scrambling.⏱ 30sResultWarm vanilla milk and pale yolk mixture |
| 27 | — | | Whisk until the milk and yolk mixture are fully combined and smooth.⏱ 30sResultCombined custard mixture |
| 28 | Combined custard mixturestep 27 | | Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan.⏱ 10sResultCombined custard mixture |
| 29 | — | | Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly and vigorously, until the mixture thickens, begins to bubble, and has the consistency of thick pudding — about 3 to 4 minutes.⏱ 4 minResultPastry cream |
| 30 | Pastry creamstep 29 | | Pour the pastry cream into a clean medium bowl.⏱ 10sResultPastry cream |
| 31 | — | | Press a sheet of cling film directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming.⏱ 15s |
| 32 | — | | Place the covered bowl of pastry cream in the refrigerator.⏱ 10sResultPastry cream |
| 33 | — | | Leave the pastry cream to chill for at least 1 hour until completely cold and set.⏱ 1 hrResultChilled pastry cream |
| 34 | — | | Take the bowl of pastry cream out of the refrigerator.⏱ 10sResultChilled pastry cream |
| 35 | — | | Uncover the pastry cream and whisk it briefly until smooth and creamy.⏱ 30sResultSmooth pastry cream |
| 36 | Smooth pastry creamstep 35 | | Spoon the smooth pastry cream into a clean piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle.⏱ 20s |
| 37 | — | | Push the nozzle into the pierced end of each cooled éclair shell and pipe in the pastry cream until you feel resistance and the shell is plump and heavy.⏱ 1 min 30sResultFilled éclair shells |
| 38 | 100 g | | Finely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl.⏱ 1 minResultDark chocolate |
| 39 | 60 ml | | Pour the double cream into a small saucepan.⏱ 5sResultDouble cream |
| 40 | — | | Heat the cream over a medium heat until it just comes to the boil.⏱ 2 minResultHot Cream |
| 41 | Hot Creamstep 40 | | Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.⏱ 10sResultDark chocolate and Hot Cream |
| 42 | — | | Leave the cream and chocolate to sit for 1 minute, then stir from the centre outwards until the chocolate has completely melted and the glaze is smooth and glossy.⏱ 1 minResultChocolate ganache |
| 43 | — | | Leave the chocolate glaze to cool for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly and coats a spoon.⏱ 5 minResultCooled chocolate glaze |
| 44 | Cooled chocolate glazestep 43 | | Dip the top of each filled éclair into the chocolate glaze, let the excess drip back into the bowl, then set the éclair back on the tray chocolate-side up.⏱ 1 minResultGlazed éclairs |
| 45 | — | | Leave the éclairs on the tray for 10 minutes until the chocolate glaze has set.⏱ 10 minResultSet glazed éclairs |
| Total Time | 1 hr 25 min | ||
A batch eaten a portion at a time — about 4 portions. Serve what is wanted now and keep the rest.
- Slide a palette knife under each éclair and arrange them on a serving plate.
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 612kcal | |
| 15g | |
| 38g | |
| 21g | |
| 50g | |
| 25g | |
| 3g | |
| 143mg |
Éclairs
Choux pastry éclairs filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with dark chocolate glaze. Serves 4.
What you’ll doYou will make choux pastry by heating water and butter, stirring in flour, then beating in eggs one at a time until glossy and ribbon-like. Pipe 10 cm lengths onto a tray, bake until deep golden and hollow, then cool completely. Meanwhile, make pastry cream by whisking egg yolks with sugar and cornflour, slowly adding hot vanilla milk while whisking, then cooking until thick. Chill for at least an hour. Fill the cooled éclairs by piping pastry cream through the pierced ends until they feel heavy. Finally, make a chocolate glaze by pouring hot cream over chopped chocolate, let it thicken slightly, then dip the tops of each éclair and set.
Ingredients
- Water125 ml
- Unsalted butter60 g
- Plain flour70 g
- Salt1 pinch
- Egg, large3 piece
- Whole milk300 ml
- Vanilla pod1 piece
- Egg yolks3 piece
- Caster sugar60 g
- Cornflour20 g
- Dark chocolate100 g
- Double cream60 ml