Eclairs

Ingredients

CHOUX PASTRY

• 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1 cm / 1/2" cubes
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup plain/all-purpose flour
• Pinch cooking/kosher salt
• 4 large eggs (55-60g/2oz each), at room temperature (Note 1)

SHINY CHOCOLATE GLAZE:

• 100g/ 3.5 oz 70% cocoa dark chocolate block, finely chopped (Note 2)
• 2/3 cup thickened/heavy cream (Note 3)
• 3 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup or liquid glucose (Note 4)

STABILISED CHANTILLY CREAM (Note 5)

• 3 cups thickened/heavy cream or whipping cream (min 35% fat, Note 3)
• 1 cup mascarpone (40%+ fat, Note 6)
• 1 2/3 cups icing sugar/powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract or, 2 vanilla pods (Note 7)

Steps

1. Preheat to 180°C/350°F, or 160°C fan. Put a shelf in the oven's top third and another in the lower third. Lightly spray 3 trays with canola oil and line with baking or parchment paper.

Choux pastry:

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add water when the butter is almost melted.
2. When the liquid begins to simmer, add flour and salt and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon, keeping the pan on the stove. The pasty mixture becomes a sticky dough ball in about 10 seconds and pulls away from the pan walls. Remove from the stove when this happens and cool for 10 minutes, no longer.
3. Stir in eggs one at a time with a wooden spoon, mixing vigorously and incorporating each fully before the next. It looks separated initially but comes together with continued stirring. The finished paste should be sticky, thick and hold its shape, not sloppy or loose; see the source video or photos.
4. Put the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a 15 mm star tip (Note 8). Pipe logs 12-14 cm long, 2.5 cm wide and 1.5 cm tall, leaving 5 cm between them (5" long, 1" wide, 0.6" tall, 2" apart). Do not crowd the tray or they will not become crisp. This yields around 20.

Bake:

1. With 2 trays on the prepared shelves, bake for 45 minutes. At 30 minutes, open the oven door for 2 seconds to let steam out for crisper pastry; do this again at 35 minutes and 40 minutes. Take the tray out at 45 minutes.
2. Take the choux buns out and cool fully on the trays. If using 3 trays, bake the 3rd tray following the same directions.
3. Cut the choux buns horizontally into halves.

Shiny chocolate glaze:

1. Put the chocolate into a bowl.
2. Heat cream and glucose in a small saucepan over medium heat until just below boiling. Pour over the chocolate and shake so it is submerged, then stand for 1 minute.
3. Use a rubber spatula to mix until smooth; do not whisk, as that creates bubbles. Put in a wide, shallow bowl big enough for dipping the eclairs.

ASSEMBLE:

1. Dip each éclair lid into the chocolate, place on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm to the touch.
2. Put all Chantilly Cream ingredients in a bowl and whip with an electric beater on medium-high for 3 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag with a star tip.
3. Pipe a generously thick cream filling in any pattern you like. Replace the lid and serve.