Eclairs with vanilla custard cream
8 servings
60 minutes
Eclairs with vanilla custard are the embodiment of French pastry art. Their history dates back to the 18th century when the legendary pastry chef Marie-Antoine Carême perfected the dough recipe, making it airy and light. The delicate crispy shell of eclairs hides a refined cream with subtle notes of vanilla that melts in your mouth, leaving a sweet aftertaste. This perfect combination of textures and aromas makes eclairs a beloved treat worldwide. They are served as an exquisite dessert delicacy, adorned with powdered sugar, glaze, or chocolate ganache. These elegant pastries will be the star of any tea party, creating an atmosphere of a cozy French patisserie right in your home.
1
First, let's prepare the dough. Pour half a glass of water into a pot, add 80 grams of butter, salt, and put it on the heat. When the water boils, add a glass of flour and mix actively. When the dough starts to pull away from the walls, it's ready, and you need to remove it from the heat.
- Water: 150 ml
- Butter: 110 g
- Salt: 0.3 teaspoon
- Wheat flour: 1 glass
2
Cool the dough to about 40–50 degrees and start adding eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly each time. You will need about 5 eggs in total (plus or minus one, as you need to check the consistency of the dough: it should not be too runny).
- Chicken egg: 10 pieces
3
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees, spoon or pipe the dough onto a baking sheet. Bake the pastries for 20-30 minutes depending on your preference for éclairs: crispy and browned, or soft and light.
4
While the eclairs are baking, it's the perfect time to make the cream.
5
Mix half of the milk with 6 egg yolks. In a separate bowl, mix sugar with 30 grams of flour. Add the sugar-flour mixture to the egg-milk mixture, stirring thoroughly to break up all lumps.
- Milk: 500 ml
- Chicken egg: 10 pieces
- Sugar: 170 g
- Wheat flour: 1 glass
6
Mix the remaining milk with vanilla essence and put it on high heat. When the mixture boils, remove it from the heat and gradually pour it into the second half of the cream. After mixing, transfer the base to a pot and put it back on high heat while stirring quickly. When the cream starts to thicken and boil, remove it from the heat, pour it into a cool container and add 30 grams of butter. Mix the cream with butter very gently and let it cool.
- Milk: 500 ml
- Vanilla essence: 1 teaspoon
- Butter: 110 g
7
Take the eclairs out of the oven and fill them with cream.