A Chocolate Eclair is a
delicious combination of crisp pastry, luscious cream, and dark chocolate.
Eclairs start with a hollow, log-shaped shell of choux pastry that can be
filled with vanilla, chocolate, or a coffee flavored pastry cream. The
finishing touch is to dip the top of the pastry in a vanilla, chocolate,
or coffee flavored glaze or fondant. While the flavor of the filling
usually matches the flavor of the glaze, I'm going to break from tradition
here, and fill the choux pastry with a vanilla flavored pastry cream and
then dip them in a dark chocolate glaze. But if you want a chocolate pastry
cream, simply stir two ounces (55 grams) of finely chopped chocolate into
the hot pastry cream.
While a French pastry chef
(Antonin Careme) may have invented the
Chocolate Eclair, North Americans have become very fond of this
pastry. This is an
unusual pastry in that it's first cooked on the stove and then baked in
the oven. It is made by adding flour to a boiled mixture of butter and
water (like a roux). It is important that the butter melts before the
water boils as you do not want too much evaporation as this will change
the consistency of the dough. Once the flour is added the mixture is
cooked just until it forms a smooth ball of dough. After removing from the
heat, cool to lukewarm, and then slowly add beaten egg
until you have a smooth thick paste-like dough. (As you add the egg, you
will notice that the dough first breaks apart but as you continue to beat
it will come back together.) Once you pipe the dough onto the baking sheet
you can brush the pastry with a bit of beaten egg. This gives the
pastry a lovely golden brown sheen and you can also smooth out any
imperfections on the surface
of the pastry. The pastry is baked first at a high temperature and then the
oven temperature is lowered. The high temperature is needed so the dough
will rise quickly (leaving a hollow center) and to set the structure of
the shells. The temperature is then reduced to allow the outsides of the
shells to become firm and crisp, while at the same time allowing the
insides of the shells to dry out. You might want to cut one of the shells
in half at the end of baking to make sure they have dried out, because if
the inside dough is still very wet (although a little wet dough is fine),
the choux pastry will deflate upon cooling. You can store the unfilled
choux pastry shells at room temperature for one day or you can freeze them
for about a month. To reheat, place in a 325 degree F (165 degree C) oven
for about 5 - 10 minutes or until crisp.
Once the pastry shells have cooled, split them in half (lengthwise). The
top half is dipped in a chocolate glaze and the bottom half is filled with
pastry cream. (The pastry cream
can be made up to three days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Stir
before using.) If you want the pastry shells to remain crisp, glaze and fill
the shells with
the cream shortly before serving. If you don't mind the shells becoming a
little soft (actually I prefer it this way) you can assemble the chocolate
eclairs a few hours
(or up to 2 days) before serving.
Just make sure you cover and store the eclairs in the refrigerator. This
recipe can be doubled.
Choux Pastry:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. To make all the
eclairs the same size, I use a template. Take a
piece of parchment paper and draw 12 - 3 1/2 inch (8.5 cm) lines, spacing the
lines about 2 - 3 inches (5 - 7 cm) apart. Place the template under your parchment
paper so you can use it as a guide.
In a bowl
whisk the flour
with the sugar and salt. Place the butter and water in a saucepan over
medium high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and, with
a wooden spoon, add the flour mixture, all at once, and stir until
combined.
Return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough comes
away from
the sides of the pan and forms a thick smooth ball (about 1-2
minutes). Transfer
the dough to your electric mixer (can do this by hand or with a hand
mixer), and beat on low speed to release the steam from the dough
(about 1 minute). Once the dough is
lukewarm start adding the lightly beaten eggs (dough will separate and
then come
together) and continue to mix until you have
a smooth thick paste (dough will fall from a spoon in a thick ribbon).
Place the
dough in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe 12
oblongs of dough (about 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide) onto the
baking sheet (using template as a guide). (When piping have the bag at a
45
degree angle.) If desired, with a pastry brush, gently brush the
tops of the dough with a lightly beaten egg.
Bake for 15
minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees
C). Continue to bake for a further 25 minutes
or until the shells are a nice amber color and when split, are almost dry
inside. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Pastry Cream:
In a heatproof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together. Whisk the flour
with the cornstarch and then add to the
egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste.
Meanwhile, in a
saucepan bring the milk just to a boil (just until milk starts to foam up.) Remove from heat and
add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If
necessary pour through a strainer.) Then pour the egg mixture into
a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils,
keep whisking constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until the pastry cream
becomes thick. Remove from heat and
stir in vanilla extract. (For a chocolate pastry cream stir in 2 ounces (55
grams) finely chopped semi sweet chocolate. For a mocha flavor add 1 1/2
teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder to the hot milk.) Pour the pastry
cream into a clean bowl and
immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Cool
to room temperature then refrigerate until firm (can be made up to 3 days ahead). Whisk
or stir
before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.
Chocolate Glaze:
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream just until boiling and
immediately pour it over the chocolate. Gently stir until the chocolate has
melted. Stir in the vanilla extract and corn syrup.
To Assemble: Split the
pastry shells in half, lengthwise. Take the top shell and dip into
the chocolate glaze, letting the excess drip off. Place on a wire
rack to dry. Fill the bottom half (can spoon or pipe) with the
cream. Once the glaze is dry, gently place the top half of the pastry shell on the
cream. Can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for two days. Makes 12 Chocolate
Eclairs.
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