Eclairs with custard
8 servings
60 minutes
The modern version of eclairs was invented by the chef Marie-Antoine Careme, the personal chef of both Napoleon and Alexander I, although a similar dessert has been known in France since the 16th century. According to legend, the French liked the new pastries so much that they ate them in a flash. That's where the name "eclair" comes from: from French, this word translates as "lightning.
1
Pour 120 ml of milk and water into a saucepan, add butter, a teaspoon of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
- Milk: 520 ml
- Water: 120 ml
- Butter: 110 g
- Sugar: 95 g
- Salt: 0.3 teaspoon
2
Add 130 grams of sifted flour, mix well with a wooden spoon, then return to heat for another 1.5–2 minutes and stir until the dough forms a single ball, remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Wheat flour: 160 g
3
In the still warm dough, add 4 eggs one by one and knead well. The dough should be smooth and shiny. Transfer it to a pastry bag with a thick nozzle.
- Chicken egg: 4 pieces
4
Pipe strips of 10-15 cm long onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 5 cm between them. Bake in an oven preheated to 220 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160 and bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown. Poke the finished eclairs with a skewer from both ends to release steam.
5
For the cream, beat the yolks with sugar and vanilla extract in a saucepan. Add 400 ml of milk, 30 g of flour, and starch, and mix well. Place on low heat and stir constantly until thickened.
- Egg yolk: 2 pieces
- Sugar: 95 g
- Vanilla extract: 0.5 teaspoon
- Milk: 520 ml
- Wheat flour: 160 g
- Cornstarch: 1.5 tablespoon
6
Remove from heat and let cool, then transfer to a pastry bag.
7
Make holes in the ready eclairs and squeeze cream inside.
8
Chop the chocolate, bring the cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir from the center to the edges until a smooth sauce forms.
- Dark chocolate: 100 g
- Cream 33%: 80 ml
9
Dip the eclairs in chocolate glaze.
10
Let the glaze set and serve.