I was craving for the authentic french èclair, made with Pàte à Choux and Crème Pâtissière and a properly tempered chocolate. So Ive been on the quest for the perfect èclair for about a month now. The biggest problem I found was the Choux, it keeps on deflating on me after I start cooling them and if I cook them any longer they burn. I basically had to perfect baking the Choux, before I could even start with anything else. I found out that, to be completely exact, you had to measure the Choux by weight and not by cups. Oooh the French, how they make everything seems a little bit more compliquè. Although they did refine pastry making so you gotta hand them that.
This Choux recipe, just like the French are a bit temperamental. If your oven wasn't calibrated recently you have to do a trial and error on the baking temperature, but dont fret, the recipe was made for some trial and error.
CAUTION: This recipe might produce some heartache and frustration that could make you stop baking for a couple of days.
Pâte à Choux Ingredients
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| Letting the Chocolate Set |
125 g Whole Milk
125 g Water
110 g Butter
10 g Sugar
2 g Salt
140 g Flour (Sifted)
4 Extra Large Jumbo Eggs (use 5 if you have medium size ones)
Preheat the oven to 425'F. This was the case with my oven, because 400'F temperature deflates my choux, if your oven run high
Place the MILK, WATER BUTTER, SUGAR and SALT in a heavy saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Whisk the mixture to incorporate the butter and milk, so no distinction can be seen. Turn off the heat.
Dump all the FLOUR and whisk vigorously, and when I mean vigorous, I mean mix it like your happiness depends on it for 30 seconds. Which in my case it did at that moment in time. This is the only time you can remove the lumps of flour. Once this sets, you have to start again.
Once your mixture is set, place it back on the stove with low heat on. and keep stirring for 2 minutes or until the Choux forms into one complete mass.
Transfer the Choux into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and set on low, cool the choux for 30 seconds. *(you can do this all by hand if you wanna burn some calories to reserve some space for the èclair.)*
Add the EGGS one at a time, waiting for each one to be fully incorporated into the Choux. Stop the mixer and wipe the sides and the bottom of the bowl and mix. Add the additional eggs.
The consistency is key to the Pàte à Choux, Once all the eggs are added, lift the paddle and a V shaped ribbon must flow.
Place the Choux into a pipping bag fitted with 1 inch hole.
Pipe 3-31/2 inches onto the baking sheet, staggering the èclair to give them room to rise.
Bake at 425'F for 15 mins and Reduce the heat to 325'F and bake for 25 minutes. Do not even attempt at opening that door while the èclairs are baking.
**While the Èclairs are baking you can make the Crème Pâtissière **
COOLING THE ÈCLAIR: Place a wooden spatula to prop the oven door open and leave it to cool for 20 minutes.
Crème Pâtissière Ingredients (Custard)
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
3 Cup Whole Milk
4 Egg Yolk
3 Tbs Unsalted Butter
2 Tsp Vanilla Exttract
Combine FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Gradually add the MILK to the dry mixture. Continue whisking the mixture until it thickens.
Set the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed. add the EGGS and ladle the white mixture a little at a time. Be very careful while doing this which could scramble the eggs if you put the hot mixture too much too fast.
Once the mixture is fully incorporated with the eggs, place the mixture back in the saucepan set on low heat.
Add the BUTTER and VANILLA and continue whisking until the mixture thickens.
I stop when the imprint of the whisk disappear in 4-5 seconds. Don't over thicken the custard.
A custard should have a velvety texture and melts in your mouth easily.
Cool the custard by placing it in a bowl and putting a plastic wrap on top to prevent the formation of skin.
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| Set at Room Temperature |
Fit a pipping bag with a metal spout, filled with the custard and poke a hole on the middle of the cooled èclairs and filling them with the velvety custard.
Dip the top of the èclair on a properly tempered chocolate. A properly tempered is the key to this delicious èclair. If your chocolate wasn't tempered properly it wont ever set, and might possibly be grainy. Im getting dizzy just thinking about it... You wont have that glean on your chocolate and that oh so delicious SNAP! once you bite into them.
