Recipe
Eclairs are a wonderful treat and surprise everyone when they are homemade. They are made from pate a choux and pastry cream, each of which are used for so many other desserts, so it’s a great one to have under your belt. Now you may be wondering about the long directions, but rest assured, I included more detail than necessary so that you end up with an exquisite dessert. And, if you’d like learn more about Eclairs, here is a podcast episode all about them.
Makes 8 large eclairs, active prep 30 minutes divided, passive 1 hour chill/bake
Pastry Cream (also known as Creme Patissiere)
1 cup milk, 218g (see note for dairy free substitutions)
1/4 cup sugar, 54g divided
2 large egg yolks, 33g
2 tbsp cornstarch, 14g
1 1/2 tbsp salted butter, 19g
1 tsp vanilla (or preferred flavor)
Choux Pastry
1/2 cup water, 112g
1/4 stick unsalted butter, 57g
1/2 cup flour blend, 64g
1 1/2 tsp sugar, 8g
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp psyllium husk powder or xanthan gum
2 large eggs, 104g
Chocolate Glaze
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped (or preferred chocolate)
5 tbsp unsalted butter (or dairy free substitute)
Directions:
Begin with the pastry cream so that it has time to cool in the fridge. In a small sauce pan, heat the milk and half of the sugar stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Heat the milk until it is scalding and bubbles form around the edges. If it boils, that is okay, just continue with the recipe.
While the milk heats, whisk together the eggs, remaining sugar, and cornstarch. Once the milk is ready, drizzle it into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking the eggs mixture continuously. (You can place the egg bowl on a towel to keep it from sliding.)
Return the mixture to the sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium low heat, mixing continuously to prevent the eggs from getting lumpy.
Once the mixture thickens, continue to cook until the mixture boils and then cook for another 30-60 seconds while whisking. To tell if the it is boiling stop mixing for a second to see if the mixture "burps".
Pour the custard into a bowl and stir in the butter and vanilla. Put plastic wrap or parchment paper directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Place in the fridge to cool. (*See note for quick cooling)
For the choux pastry: preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C. In a saucepan heat the water and butter over medium heat until it boils, stirring occasionally.
While the butter and water heat, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and psyllium in a bowl.
Once the butter and water boil, dump in the flour mixture and stir with a spoon. It will start to form a ball of dough, but keep stirring for a few minutes over medium heat until the mixture looks a little oily and forms a film on the bottom of the pan. If you have an instant read thermometer, I recommend sticking it into the middle of the dough and taking the mixture off the burner once it reaches 140-150 F / 60-65 C.
Place the dough in a mixer and mix on low speed until it is warm to the touch. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to thoroughly mix in the egg before adding the second egg.
Place the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1 cm) piping tip. Or a thick sandwich bag with the corner cut off works just fine too. On a lined or greased baking tray, pipe about 8 eclairs about 3/4 inches wide (2 cm) and 3 1/3 inches (9 cm) long. The end of the eclairs will have a “tail” where you pull the piping bag away. After you pipe, simply wet your fingers and press the bumps down so the eclairs are uniform.
Bake for 15 minutes and do not open the oven door. Opening the door can cause them to collapse. After 15 minutes, keep the oven door closed but turn the oven down to 300 F / 150 C and bake for 15-20 minutes. Take the eclairs out and carefully slice them in half. Return them to the oven for about 5-10 minutes and bake just until the inside feels dry/cooked and not gummy. Allow them to cool completely. They will be crispy at this stage, but they will soften once they are filled with the moist pastry cream.
Prepare the chocolate glaze by putting the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Allow to sit for a minute and then stir. Repeat the process once more if necessary until you have a smooth consistency, being careful not to overheat the chocolate.
Once the choux is cooled you can either spoon or pipe the cold pastry filling into the larger half of each choux bun. Dip the other half of the choux, in the chocolate and place on top. It’s a matter of personal taste, but I think eclairs are best once the choux softens which can take a couple of hours to one day, which makes for excellent leftovers. Store them in the fridge and enjoy!
Notes:
Substitutions: This recipe is delicious dairy free. I have tested unsweetened soy milk and it works quite well. For the butter you can also use a dairy free option. If you need to replace the cornstarch, you can try using sweet rice flour. Some people use tapioca starch but I have found it to add a slight slimy texture which I’m not crazy about. Alternatively, you can try a recipe that calls for whole eggs. The egg whites act as the thickener.
Quick cooling: If you need your pastry cream to cool quickly, you can place it in a thin layer in a metal pie pan. The thinner the layer, the quicker it will cool. Just be sure to cover the surface. You can even give it a 10-20 minutes cooling boost in the freezer before putting it in the fridge. Just keep an eye on it to be sure it doesn’t freeze.
