Chocolate Eclairs - 10th April 2011

Ingredients - Choux Pastry

• 1 cup (250ml/ 8 fl oz) Water
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) butter, chopped
• 3/4 cup (120g/ 4 1/2 oz) Plain Flour
• 5 eggs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius 

2. Place water and butter in a saucepan over high heat and cook until butter is melted and the mixture starts to simmer. (It's better to add water gradually as melting the butter).

3. Add the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.

4. Cook, stirring over low heat until mixture leaves the side of the pan.
5. Remove from heat and place in bowl of electric mixer.

6. Add eggs gradually, beating on high speed until well combined. (Mixture will be quite hot so beat fast first to get some of heat out, will create steam, but adding eggs bit at a time on very high [kitchen aid on 10, top speed] doesn't cook the eggs).
7. Spoon mixture into a piping bag with a 12mm (1/2 inch) plain nozzle. Pipe 8cm (3inch) lengths of mixture onto baking trays lined with non stick baking paper.

8. Bake for 20-25mins or until puffed up and golden.

9. Cool on wire racks.

Ingredients - Chocolate Creme Patissiere

• 2 cups (500ml/ 16 fl oz) Milk
• 200g (7 oz) Chopped dark chocolate
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla paste
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup (75g/ 2 3/4 oz) Caster (superfine) Sugar
• 1/3 (50g/ 1 3/4 oz) Cornflour (cornstarch)

Method

1. Place milk, chocolate and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. Bring to the boil.

3. Whisk together egg yolk and sugar until thick and pale.

 4. Slowly pour in the hot milk, whisking continuously.

5. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over medium-high heat and simmer rapidly while whisking continuously for 5mins or until thick.

Put Together the Eclairs

• Cut the eclairs into halves.
• Pipe the chocolate creme patissiere onto one side of each chocolate eclair halve.
• Drizzle the top of the chocolate eclairs with melted chocolate and serve.