My husband is a big fan of eclairs ad cream puffs. He is from a small town in Wisconsin and every year they have the county fair there. There is a cream puff and eclair stand at the fair with the largest pastries I have ever seen. He likes to plan his trips to see his parents to ensure we will be there during the fair just so he can have them.
I did not make head sized eclairs, but he said I made them just as good, so that’s something.
I had a lot of firsts with the recipe. I have never made eclairs, and I have never made a pate choux.
The pate choux was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. For some reason I had complicated in my head. It really isn’t complicated at all. And it really only takes about a minute to mix the flour in and have it form the ball.
I made smaller puffs than the recipe called for, so I did adjust my cooking time down a bit. I cooked the puffs on two different types of baking sheet.
I had the best success cooking them on a stone lined with a silpat. They were perfectly done and the puff stayed intact on all sides with the hollow in the middle where it should be.
The puffs I cooked on the metal pan were a bit more brown. The hollow space was also on the bottom of the puff. I ended up throwing these out as there was no way they could be filled properly.
So - use a stone sheet if you can. If you don’t have a stone, I would recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment and keep watch!
I have made custard before, so I knew what I was in for. This custard was quite lovely. You really do have to cook it over low temperature thought.
I know there is a tendency to want to turn up the heat if something needs to boil. Resist that urge!
Cooking low and slow is how you get that rich, thick custard. It took the entire 40 minute cooking time of the puffs to make the custard.
The custard cooled and chilled nicely in about 45 minutes.
Filling the puffs is probably the most challenging part. I have a pastry filler that helped, but you could certainly do this with a large piping tip and a pastry bag.
I used a cocktail straw to break the puff at the ends, then inserted the pastry tip into the hole. Make sure your custard isn’t too cold or it will be much more difficult to fill.
Also don’t think you have to fill the entire puff from one side. Fill it halfway, then switch sides and continue.
The icing was very simple. I used unsweetened dark baker’s chocolate and melted it with the shortening in the microwave. I know, the Mid Century chef would have used the stove!
The icing is smooth and glossy and spreads nicely. It also hardens a bit on the outer edges. When you bit into the puff, it oozes a bit - but in a good way.
I took the completed eclairs to my husbands office. I had made about thirty in total. They were gone in a matter of minutes.
Chocolate Eclairs
1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sifted Flour
4 Eggs
RICH CUSTARD FILLING
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
6 Tablespoons Flour
2 Cups Milk
4 Egg Yolks
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
THIN CHOCOLATE ICING
2 Tablespoons Shortening
2 Ounces Chocolate
1 Cup Sifted Confectioners’ Sugar
2 Tablespoons Boiling Water
Heat water and butter to the boiling point in a saucepan. Stir in flour. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture leaves pan and forms into a ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat mixture until smooth and velvety. Fill a pastry tube with dough. Shape eclairs 4 inches long and 1 inch wide. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool. For filling - mix together sugar, salt and flour in a saucepan. Slowly stir in milk. Cook over low heat until the mixture boils, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Temper eggs, then add to the mixture. Place back on heat and bring to the boiling point. Cool and blend in vanilla. Cool. Place in a pastry tube and fill puffs. For icing - Melt together the chocolate and shortening. Blend in confectioners’ sugar and boiling water. Beat until smooth but not stiff. Spread a thin layer of icing over each eclair.
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