Chocolate Eclair

Pate A Choux
  125 g Water

  125 g Milk

  125 g Butter, cubed

  5 g Salt

  10 g Sugar

  150 g All-purpose flour

  250 g Eggs

Chocolate Custard

Mixture
  125 g Milk

  40 g Unsweetened cocoa powder

  130 g Dark chocolate 58/64%

Custard
  500 g Milk
  60 g Sugar

  5 g Vanilla paste (Optional)

  100 g Egg yolks (5)

  60 g Sugar

  40 g Corn starch

Chocolate Glaze
  200 g Heavy cream

  10 g Cocoa powder

  150 g Dark chocolate

About

1 It appears that éclairs were first made by Antonin Carême in the 19th century, the
famous French chef. The word comes from French éclair 'flash of lightning', so named
because it is eaten quickly (in a flash). True.

Pate A Choux

2 Bring water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Remove from heat and quickly stir in
flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from
sides for about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment. Mix on low speed for about 1 minute to get the steam out and throw in
eggs and mix until smooth. Pipe eclairs or religieuses and heads on a baking sheet lined
with a silicon mat or parchment using a 5/8’’/0.625’’/ 15.8 mm open star pastry tip. The
use of a star piping tip (or nozzle) to pipe pâte à choux is essential to allowing the batter
to expand evenly with minimal cracking during the baking process. The ridges created
by piping the pâte à choux with a star tip creates gaps that allows the choux to expand
evenly during baking. Dust eclairs and religieuses with powdered sugar before baking.
Raw pate a choux can be refrigerated a couple of days or frozen for weeks before being
baked. Place frozen eclairs or religieuses on a baking tray and bake right away in the
preheated oven.

Baking

3 Set the oven rack adjusted to the middle position. Bake one sheet at a time ~ 10 eclairs
or choux.
If using a conventional oven: Bake in a preheated 450ºF/230ºC oven for 5 minutes, then
lower temp to 350ºF/180ºC and continue baking for 30 minutes more. Do not open the
oven door during baking or it will deflate. Then, turn oven off leaving the oven door ajar
 to allowing pate a choux to dry for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool
completely on wire rack. Lower baking time if using a convection oven.

Chocolate Custard

4 For the chocolate mixture: bring milk to a boil and pour in the chopped chocolate and
cocoa powder. Blend and set aside. For the custard: Bring milk, sugar and vanilla to a
boil. Meanwhile combine egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch. When the milk is
simmering, remove from the heat and temper the yolk mixture with the hot milk. Pour
the tempered mixture into the saucepan and return to the heat; bring custard to a boil
and cook for 2 minutes whisking swiftly on medium heat. Remove from the stove and
mix in the chocolate mixture and pass through a fine mesh-sieve or mix with an
immersion blender. Cool custard over a frozen tray lined with plastic wrap, and top with
wrap in contact and chill completely. When ready to use, beat the chocolate custard until
smooth. Make holes on the backs of pâte à choux; skip this step if using a Bismarck tip.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain pastry tip or a Bismarck tip, gently pipe the
custard generously into the eclairs or choux and with the tip of a knife, wipe any cream
excess that might have escaped from the pâte à choux. Chill prior glazing.

Chocolage Glaze (Ganache)

5 In a pastry bowl and over water bath, melt chocolate slowly. Meanwhile, heat up heavy
cream and whisk in cocoa powder. Pour over melted chocolate and blend to smooth
without incorporating too much air. Use chocolate glaze at 105ºF/40ºC.

Glazing Eclair

6 Dip the tops of the chilled eclairs or choux in the warm chocolate glaze and set let on a
sheet pan. To finish the religieuses, chill remaining chocolate glaze and whip until light
and fluffy. Using a very small open start pastry tip, pipe small drops around the neck of
the religieuses. Buttercream is commonly used for that effect. Eclairs or religieuses can
be refrigerated up to 3 days. Do not freeze. Enjoy!