French Eclairs are my typical answer when someone asks me what my favorite thing to make is. It's because I have fond memories growing up of pulling out my mom's Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook to whip up a batch for no reason at all- other than I loved to bake. They were also the first pastry we made on our first day of culinary school. They're simple to make, and will be the hit at every party.
I know it looks like there are a lot of steps. But it's not as time consuming as it looks and it's worth it- I promise.
Pate A Choux
(Pate A Choux is a basic pastry dough can be used in both sweet and savory dishes)
- 2 Cups Water
- 14 Tablespoons Butter
- Pinch Salt
- 10.5 ounces Pastry Flour (make your own pastry flour by combining 1 part all-purpose flour + 2 parts cake flour)
- 15 Eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a saucepan combine the water, butter, and salt. Bring to a full boil over medium heat-
but don't boil excessively. Remove from heat. At this point you can either continue the process by mixing by hand
(my preference) or in a mixer. Dump the flour into the liquid mixture and mix until all of the liquid is absorbed and forms a ball while pulling away from the pan. Cool dough slightly before you mix in the eggs one by one, mixing completely before you add the next. The end result should be a shiny and firm paste that is pipe-able. If yours doesn't look shiny and firm- add an egg or two until it does.
The more eggs you are able to let your dough hold, the lighter and richer your puffs will become.
Place a large round tip into the bottom of your pastry bag
(I like Wilton's size 1A). Scoop your dough into a piping bag.
It's best to make an 'O' with your hand around the bag, and turn the top of the bag over your hand as you fill- it's much cleaner and manageable than trying to fill from the top. Some people like to put the bag in a cup so it stays upright, but that's never worked for me. Use whatever technique works best for you. Pipe directly onto a greased sheet pan, or a sheet pan covered with parchment paper, or a silpat
(my preference- and the reason I prefer silpats is because it keeps the bottoms from getting more crusty than the tops).
- If you are making eclairs, pipe into 2' elongated lines. You can move your piping bag away from you slowly to build up the dough to make them as thick or as tall as you'd like.
- If you are making cream puffs, place the tip of your pastry bag straight down and lift directly up as you make tiny mounds.
- If you are making profiteroles (large cream puffs filled with ice cream and covered with hot fudge sauce) use the same technique as cream puffs, but make the mounds larger.
If you are having problems getting a pretty shape, dip your finger in cold water and pat down the parts that are displeasing, and shape it the way you want it. This is especially good if your pastry bag makes sharp peaks that you don't want. Bake until golden brown, about 25-35 minutes, depending on the shape and size. It's very important not to open the oven door during the baking process- as to not release the steam that is making the pate a choux rise.
Pastry Cream
(Yes- you can use any sort of cream you'd like- even Jell-O Pudding. However, I challenge each of you to make this pastry cream at least once in your life)
- 4 Cups Milk
- 8 ounces Sugar
- 3.5 ounces Corn Starch
- 3 Eggs
In a saucepan bring the milk and half of the sugar to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, ribbon together the corn starch, remaining sugar, and eggs. When milk has boiled pour half of it into the egg mixture and mix quickly
lest you have scrambled eggs. Then pour everything back into the saucepan and mix with remaining milk. Bring to a boil a second time- this time mixing constantly.
This is very important- it will get nasty if you do not stir diligently. In order for the starch to set up it must be boiled for at least two minutes. Strain mixture over a sheet pan
straining is very important so it ends up silky smooth without any lumps- do this as quickly as possible to prevent a crust from forming. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before covering with parchment paper- all to avoid crusts and lumps. Cool for five minutes before placing in refidgerator. When cooled completely, beat the pastry cream to fluff it up before filling puffs.
Fold a bit of whipped cream into the custard if it is too heavy for your personal preferences.
Using a clean pastry bag with a thin tip, fill puff pastry as full as possible without over-filling. You do this by inserting the tip into one end of the pastry, as far as it will go, and fill slowly as you fill from one side to the other. Scrape off any overflow.
Chocolate Glaze
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Cups Chocolate (can be chocolate chips, baking chocolate, or chocolate squares- I prefer Girhadelli's dark)
- Splash of Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
Fill saucepan a quarter full with water. Place glass bowl on top with butter and chocolate. Melt on low heat until chocolate is melted. Once chocolate is melted remove from stove top
careful to not allow any water or condensation into the chocolate or the chocolate will seize. Stir in milk, vanilla, and corn syrup. Dip eclairs or cream puffs into chocolate and place on a cooling rack or sheet pan to set up. Allow chocolate to set up completely before transferring.
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You can refrigerate these for a few hours before serving, but if you wait too long the shells might get soggy. Also try to avoid freezing them as the chocolate could take on white spots that don't look very appetizing. And that's it! You now have beautiful, delicious French eclairs!
If you try any part of this recipe, please comment below to let me know how they turned out!
