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Éclairs
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Éclairs

Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 24 Éclairs
Author Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

  • Heavy-Bottomed Large Saucepan
  • Stand Mixer
  • 2 Baking sheets
  • Small Saucepan
  • Strainer
  • Candy Thermometer

Ingredients

Cream Puff Dough: Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé (makes 20-24 Éclairs)

  • ½ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup water
  • 8 tbsp 4 oz unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
  • ¼ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 5 large eggs at room temperature

Pastry Cream:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ vanilla bean cut in half and seeds scraped
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch sifted
  • 2½ tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

Chocolate Sauce: Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé (makes 1½ cups )

  • 4½ oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup crème fraîche or heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup sugar

Chocolate Glaze: Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé (makes 1 cup)

  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • 3½ oz bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
  • 4 tsp unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
  • 7 tbsp Chocolate Sauce recipe below, warm or at room temperature

Instructions

  • Prepare the cream puff dough in a heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Bring the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium, and stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan; it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time, the dough will be very soft and smooth.
  • Transfer the dough into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use your hand mixer, or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough. You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, but do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end, the dough should be thick and shiny, and when lifted, it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon. The dough should still be warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.
  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the oven into thirds by positioning the racks in the upper and lower halves of the oven.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a ⅔ plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough. Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 4½ inches "chubby fingers". Leave about 2 inches of space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.
  • The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.
  • Cook the puff dough by sliding both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes.
  • After the 7 minutes, slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep it ajar. When the éclairs have been in the oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheet pans top to bottom and front to back.
  • Continue baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden, and firm. The total baking time should be approximately 20 minutes.
    Side Note: Once the dough is made, you need to shape it immediately. You can pipe the dough and then freeze it. Pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.
  • Prepare the pastry cream in a small saucepan by bringing the milk, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds to a boil.
  • In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed large saucepan.
  • Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple of spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.
  • Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture. Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled.
  • Place the large saucepan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stopping) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).
  • Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.
  • Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 degrees, remove it from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.
    Side Note: The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. To avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the cream.
  • Prepare the chocolate sauce by placing all the ingredients in a heavy‐bottomed large saucepan and bringing it to a boil, stirring constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens. It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.
  • Prepare the chocolate glaze in a small saucepan by bringing the heavy cream to a boil.
  • Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the bittersweet chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula. Gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece, along with the chocolate sauce.
    Notes: If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e., not liquid enough), you may heat it briefly in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.
  • It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple of days ahead of time, store it in the fridge, and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 degrees) when ready to glaze.
  • To assemble the eclairs, slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion. Set aside the bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.
    Side Notes: The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.
  • The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees as measured on an instant-read thermometer).
  • Spread the glaze over the tops of the éclairs using a metal icing spatula or spoon. Allow the tops to set, and in the meantime, fill the bottoms with the pastry cream. Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops on the pastry cream and wriggle them gently to settle. Enjoy.
    Side Notes: If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat it by placing it in a bowl over simmering water, stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously, as you do not want to create bubbles. The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.