Classic Chocolate Éclairs Recipes

CLASSIC FRENCH CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIR RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
• Combine the butter, water, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Stir the mixture until the butter melts and is incorporated into the water.
• Add the flour all at once, lower the heat to medium-low. Stir vigorously and continuously with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a ball, pulls away from the sides of the saucepan, and a thin film develops on the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Continue to stir the dough vigorously so the dough dries out a bit and moisture evaporates, another 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Let cool, stirring occasionally on a low setting until the dough is only slightly warm to the touch. Beat in the eggs, one at a time on low speed until each one is well incorporated into the batter and the dough looks smooth before adding the next egg. Alternatively, use a wooden spoon, stirring vigorously and continuously after each egg is added.
• Spoon the choux pastry dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch star tip and pipe six 4-inch lengths onto each baking sheet.
• Bake one sheet at a time until the eclair shells are very puffed and just beginning to show slight color, 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 F and continue to bake until the pastries are golden brown and dry-looking, 16 to 18 minutes more. The shells should sound hollow when lightly tapped.
• Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before filling. Be sure to bring the oven back to 425 F before baking the second batch.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface.
• Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch and salt, whisking well to combine.
• In a thin stream, pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture while continuing to whisk constantly until well combined.
• Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl clean with a silicone spatula. Over medium heat, cook while whisking constantly until it thickens to the consistency of a thick pudding, about 3 1/2 minutes. It may look lumpy as the pastry cream starts to thicken, but will smooth out as you continue to whisk.
• Transfer the pastry cream to a large clean bowl and whisk in the vanilla extract. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the fridge or over an ice bath until completely cooled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the finely chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the heavy cream until it's just beginning to boil. Remove from the heat immediately.
• Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Stir the mixture until the all the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
• Set the chocolate glaze aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally until cool, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Poke three small even holes in the bottom of the eclair shells with a 3/16-inch wide plain pastry tip or Bismark tip. Whisk the cold pastry cream to lighten the texture. Fit a pastry bag with the pastry tip and fill with pastry cream, being sure not to overfill the bag.
• Pipe the cream into each hole until it starts to seep out of the top or you feel the pastry starting to get heavy (about 4 tablespoons of pastry cream per shell). Alternatively, slice the pastry shell in half lengthwise with a serrated knife and fill evenly with 4 tablespoons of the pastry cream.
• Gently spread 1 tablespoon of chocolate glaze onto the éclair or carefully dip the top of each filled éclair into the glaze (use this method only if you filled the shells from the bottom). Chill about 30 minutes to set the glaze before serving.

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIRS

Steps:

• Prepare the custard: Stir together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and kosher salt in a medium saucepan until smooth. Whisk in the milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Add the vanilla bean and seeds and the butter and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large heatproof bowl.
• Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and making sure to get the edges, until the mixture begins to thicken, 2 to 4 minutes. (It's helpful to have both a spatula and a whisk handy while making the custard. Switch between the two.) Let it come up to a very slow boil and cook for 1 minute more. Strain the custard through the sieve into the bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 1/2 hours.
• Prepare the puffs: Bring the butter, sugar, salt and 3/4 cup/175 milliliters water to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, add the flour, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring the dough occasionally.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Add the eggs to the dough in the pan, one at a time, stirring vigorously between each addition with a wooden spoon. The dough will break apart and slide around in the pot before it comes back together. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip. (The author used Ateco #826.)
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe the dough into 4 1/2-inch-by-3/4-inch lengths about 3 inches apart. With a damp fingertip, flatten any points. Bake until éclairs are deep golden brown and puffed, rotating the sheets halfway through, 22 to 25 minutes. They should be very light and crisp. Turn the oven off. Poke each éclair on either end with a toothpick to allow some steam to release. Return the puffs to the oven and prop the door open a crack with a wooden spoon. Allow the puffs to dry out in the oven, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Prepare the glaze: Bring the heavy cream and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and corn syrup. Let the mixture stand for 1 minute and then whisk to make a smooth sauce.
• To finish the custard, whip the remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream to soft peaks. Whisk the cooled custard to loosen it, then fold in the whipped cream. Transfer the custard to a pastry bag fitted with a fluted tip. Slice the top third off each éclair and fill the bases of the éclairs with custard. Dip the tops of the éclairs in the glaze and set them on top of the custard-filled bases. Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the saucepan. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.
• Pastry: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, add 3 eggs, 1 egg at a time. Stop mixing after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated. The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still clinging to the beaters, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until incorporated.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe fat lengths of dough (about the size and shape of a jumbo hot dog) onto the lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between them. You should have 8 to 10 lengths.
• Egg Wash: In a bowl, whisk the egg and water together. Brush the surface of each eclair with the egg wash. Use your fingers to smooth out any bumps of points of dough that remain on the surface. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Try not to open the oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet. Fit a medium-size plain pastry tip over your index finger and use it to make a hole in the end of each eclair (or just use your fingertip). Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip, gently pipe the custard into the eclairs, using only just enough to fill the inside (don't stuff them full).
• Glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until it boils. Immediately turn off the heat. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Set aside and keep warm. The glaze can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, and rewarm in a microwave or over hot water when ready to use.
• Dip the tops of the eclairs in the warm chocolate glaze and set on a sheet pan. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour to set the glaze. Serve chilled.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large saucepan, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. , Using a tablespoon or a pastry tube with a #10 or large round tip, form dough into nine 4x1-1/2-in. strips on a greased baking sheet. Bake 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove to a wire rack. Immediately split eclairs open; remove tops and set aside. Discard soft dough from inside. Cool eclairs. , In a large bowl, beat milk and pudding mix according to package directions. In another bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar and vanilla; fold into pudding. Fill eclairs (chill any remaining filling for another use). , For frosting, in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Stir in sugar and enough hot water to achieve a smooth consistency. Cool slightly. Frost eclairs. Store in refrigerator.