Chocolate eclairs (step-by-step instructions)

Ingredients

Choux pastry:

• 4 fl oz water
• 1.8 oz butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2.6 oz flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg for brushing

Chocolate pastry cream:

• 12 fl oz milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 2.6 oz sugar
• 1 oz cornstarch
• 3.5 oz chocolate

Ganache for glazing:

• 2 fl oz heavy cream
• 2.1 oz chocolate

Materials

• Piping bag
• Plain piping tip
• Filling tip
• Eclair template - Find the template we used for the recipe [by clicking here]

Preparation

• Chocolate pastry cream:
  Bring the milk to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale and creamy. Then add the cornstarch and mix well.
• Gradually pour the boiling milk over the mixture while mixing well. Return this mixture to the saucepan. In the empty bowl, place the chocolate pieces.
  
• Return the cream to medium heat and stir constantly until it thickens.
• Pour the thickened hot cream over the chocolate in the bowl, and mix well until the chocolate is completely melted and combined. Let it cool.
  
• Ganache:
  Heat the cream. When it boils, pour it over the chocolate pieces. Mix until the ganache is smooth. Let it cool (do not refrigerate).
• Choux pastry:
  In a saucepan, heat the water with the butter and salt. When the butter has melted, add the flour all at once, and mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.
  
• Remove from heat, and add the eggs one by one, mixing each time. Mix vigorously, as the elasticity of the dough forms at this stage.
• On a baking sheet, place a sheet of parchment paper, and slide the template for eclairs underneath (you can download it in the materials section). Using a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle, pipe the eclairs.
  
• Brush them with beaten egg, then use the back of a fork to score each eclair to help them rise.
• Bake for 35 minutes at 350°F/180°C. Be careful, at the end of baking, do not take them out of the oven directly, as they may deflate. Leave the oven door ajar for 10 minutes before removing them.
  
• Once the eclairs, pastry cream, and ganache are cooled, fill them:
  Pierce 3 holes with the tip of a knife in the base of each eclair.
• Then fill the eclairs using a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle. Start with the holes at the ends, then fill the middle one. If you don't have one, cut the eclairs in half lengthwise to fill them.
  
• Then, dip the tops of the eclairs in the ganache. Use your finger to smooth the top for a nice glaze. Refrigerate the eclairs for 20 minutes after this step.
• And there you have it, your chocolate eclairs are ready!
  

Observations

The glaze: Traditionally, éclairs are glazed with pastry fondant. However, it is more expensive, harder to make, and less tasty. That’s why we replaced it with ganache.
Baking: The choux puffs up as water evaporates during baking. Cracking the oven door open at the end of baking allows the moisture to escape slowly. If you take the choux out of the oven straight away, they will definitely deflate!
Avoid burning the pastry cream: Use a whisk rather than a wooden spoon to avoid any mishaps.
Storage: Up to 48 hours.

Questions

Photos of members who cooked this recipe