Éclairs with lots of riffs
It’s brilliant to be able to make a batch of choux pastry, one can do so many shapes and make sweet and savoury variations. I like to keep them small for afternoon tea, so one can enjoy several!
SERVES
20
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
50
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
30
MINUTES
Ingredients
Choux Pastry
75g strong flour (Baker's)
small pinch of salt
110ml water
50g butter, cut into 1cm cubes
2-3 eggs depending on size (free range if possible)
Dark Chocolate Glacé Icing...
110g caster sugar
75g butter
4 tbsp water
175g icing sugar, sieved
50g cocoa powder, sieved
...or Coffee Glacé Icing
scant 1 tbsp coffee essence
225g icing sugar, sieved
2 tbsp boiling water approx.
Crème Chantilly
300ml whipped cream
½ -1 tbsp icing sugar
2-3 drops pure vanilla extract
parchment paper
9mm round éclair piping nozzle
Method
Make the choux pastry in the usual way.
Sieve the flour with the salt into a bowl. Heat the water and butter in a high-sided saucepan until the butter is melted. Bring to a fast rolling boil, remove from the heat.
(Note: Prolonged boiling evaporates the water and changes the proportions of the dough).
Immediately the pan is taken from the heat, add all the flour at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for a few seconds until the mixture is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan to form a ball. Put the saucepan back on a low heat and stir for 30 seconds - 1 minute or until the mixture starts to furr the bottom of the saucepan. Remove from the heat and cool for a few seconds.
Meanwhile, break one egg into a bowl, whisk and set aside. Add the remaining eggs into the dough, one by one with a wooden spoon, beating thoroughly after each addition. Make sure the dough returns to the same texture each time before you add another egg. When it will no longer form a ball in the centre of the saucepan, add the beaten egg little by little. Use just enough to make a mixture that is very shiny and just drops reluctantly from the spoon in a sheet.
The choux pastry may be used immediately or kept covered and refrigerated for several hours.
Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 7.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with a few drops of cold water. Fill the choux pastry into a piping bag with the round éclair nozzle. Pipe the dough into strips of your choice (7.5-10cm), 3.5cm apart to allow for expansion.
Bake immediately in the preheated oven, for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 200°C/Gas Mark 6, for a further 15-20 minutes or until they are crisp and golden. Rest the tray on the opened oven door. Make a little hole in the side of each éclair to allow the steam to escape. Return to the oven and bake for approx. 5 minutes more – they should be very crisp.
Remove to a wire rack.
Meanwhile make the chosen glacé icing or icings...
Chocolate: In a saucepan, stir the caster sugar, butter and water over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, and the butter is melted. Bring just to the boil, then draw off the heat and pour at once into the sifted ingredients in a bowl. Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and glossy. It will thicken as it cools but thin with warm water as required.
Coffee: Add the coffee essence to the sieved icing sugar in a bowl and enough boiling water to make an icing the consistency of thick cream.
Sweeten the whipped cream to taste with icing sugar and a dash of vanilla extract, put into a piping bag with a small nozzle. As soon as the éclairs are cold, fill with chantilly cream through the hole where the steam escaped, (alternatively, split lengthways and fill).
Dip the tops in the icing and arrange on a wire rack over a tray to catch the drips. Éclairs are best served within 1 or 2 hours of being made.
Note: If the icing is too thick, add a little warm water, it should be a thick coating consistency.
Delicious as they are but one can have fun with roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped pistachios, walnuts or pecans. I sometimes add a little crushed cardamom to the coffee icing, ¼ teaspoon is enough for once the recipe.
