These delectable chocolate eclairs are made with a crisp, airy choux pastry, a creamy custard, and sweet chocolate!
Ingredients
For the choux pastry
65g plain flour, sifted
pinch salt
Teaspoon of sugar
50g unsalted butter
2 large eggs, beaten
For the custard.
500ml/ 2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
135g/ ⅔ cups sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the chocolate ganache
250ml/ 1 cup heavy cream
285g chocolate, broken into pieces
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200C. Generously grease a baking tray with butter.
Put 120ml water into a medium-sized pan with the salt and butter and heat gently until the butter has completely melted – don’t let the water boil and begin to evaporate. Quickly bring the mixture to the boil and tip in all the flour in one go. Remove the pan from the heat and beat furiously with a wooden spoon.
Put the pan back on a low heat and beat the dough for about a minute to slightly cook the dough – it should come away from the sides of the pan to make a smooth ball. Tip the dough into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool until slightly warm.
Beat the eggs in a bowl until combined, then slowly beat them into the dough with an electric whisk or mixer, or a wooden spoon, beating well after each addition. (You may not need all the egg.) The dough should be very shiny and paste-like, and make a v shape on a wooden spoon when held above.
Spoon the pastry into a piping bag fitted with a 1.25cm/½in plain nozzle and pipe 12 x 10cm lengths onto the baking tray.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Then, without opening the door, reduce the oven temperature to 170C and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp.
Remove the tray from the oven and carefully make a small hole in the side of each éclair to allow steam to escape. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes, or until the pastry is completely crisp. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To make the custard, heat the milk until it starts to boil. In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch together until smooth and well combined.
Slowly add about half of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking as you do.
Transfer the egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk and whisk over a low heat until the mixture thickens.
As soon as it gets thick, take it from the heat and whisk until smooth. if it becomes too thick add a drop of milk to loosen it up. Add the vanilla and mix through. Cover and set aside to cool.
Heat the cream until boiling, add the chocolate and let them melt, stirring occasionally until all of the chocolate has melted and it's smooth.
Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke a hole in one end of each eclair. Using a piping bag, squeeze the cream into each eclair.
Once each eclair has been filled, dip the top into the chocolate. Let set in the refrigerator and serve cold.
Notes
Adapted from https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolate_clairs_03600