Chocolate Éclairs

For 8 éclairs.

Preparation time: 90 minutes.

Cooking time: 40 to 50 minutes.

Equipment:

• 1 stiff spatula

• 1 saucepan

• 1 large + 1 medium mixing bowl

• Plastic wrap

• Stand mixer

• Parchment paper

• Rolling pin

• 2 large piping bags + 1 fluted nozzle of 13 to 15 mm + 1 plain nozzle of 8 mm.

• 1 baking tray of 60x40 cm covered with parchment paper.

Ingredients: Choux Pastry:

• Water: 125 ml (or half semi-skimmed milk + half water)

• Salt: 3 grams

• Butter: 50 grams

• Flour T55: 75 grams

• Eggs at room temperature: 100 to 125 grams (2.5 eggs)

Chocolate Pastry Cream:

• Milk: 500 grams

• Egg yolks: 80 grams (4 egg yolks)

• Sugar: 100 grams

• Cornstarch or cream powder: 45 grams

• Dark baking chocolate, at least 65% cocoa: 150 grams

Icing:

• White fondant: 250 grams

• Brix syrup, 60%: desired quantity (115 g water + 150 g granulated sugar)

• Unsweetened cocoa powder: desired quantity (about 2 to 6 teaspoons)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius with fan.

The Panade:

• Pour the water, salt, and butter cut into pieces into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until slightly boiling. The butter must be completely melted before the mixture boils. Stir.

• Off the heat, pour the flour all at once onto the liquid mixture and stir with a spatula.

• Put the saucepan back on medium heat and stir for 20 seconds to a minute until the panade comes away from the bottom and sides. Pour into a large bowl and stir to remove steam and cool the dough.

The ‘Choux Pastry’:

• Roughly whisk the eggs in a bowl and add them one at a time to the panade.

• Stir the dough between each egg with your spatula to even out. The choux pastry is ready when you get a breaking ribbon and the dough is smooth and shiny. You may not need to use all five eggs; four or four and a half may suffice.

Piping:

• Use a cardboard template and draw rectangles of 2 x 13 cm on the back of the parchment paper with a pencil.

• Pipe éclairs of 2 x 13 cm on a baking tray covered with parchment paper, spacing them out.

• You can pipe about eight éclairs per tray.

Baking: Bake in fan mode at 180 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes. Do not open the oven door; this would cause your éclairs to fall immediately! You can check after about 35 minutes. Depending on your oven and your éclairs, baking can take up to 50 minutes. The éclairs are done when the bottom (the sole) is firm, and you hear a small sound when you tap with your fingers.

Chocolate Pastry Cream:

1. Heat your milk over medium heat in a saucepan without boiling it.

2. Whisk the yolks and sugar until the mixture whitens.

3. Add cornstarch and whisk again.

4. Dilute this mixture with one-third of the hot milk.

5. Return the mixture to the saucepan with the milk and stir until it thickens, constantly whisking.

6. When small bubbles appear, continue mixing for one minute (pasteurization).

7. Remove from heat and pour in chocolate, mix well.

8. Pour your cream onto a dish or tray covered with plastic wrap and cover with plastic wrap, eliminating air.

9. Cool quickly with ice blocks, then refrigerate for three hours or freeze for a few minutes to accelerate the process. If you put it in the freezer, check regularly; it should not be frozen! It keeps for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Filling the Éclairs:

1. Mix the cold pastry cream in the bowl of your stand mixer or with your electric mixer.

2. Pierce 3 holes in the base of each éclair (the sole).

3. Fill the éclair with cream.

4. Chill them.

Glazing the Éclairs:

1. Make the 60% Brix syrup: put 115 g of water + 150 grams of sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil for a few seconds. The syrup is ready when the sugar is completely dissolved.

2. Heat the white fondant in a double boiler. Add Brix syrup as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

3. Sprinkle with a few teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder until you get the desired color.

4. The fondant should be used between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. If it’s hotter, it will lose its shine after refrigeration.

5. Glaze your éclairs with a spatula, remove excess with your finger.

6. Keep your éclairs refrigerated and enjoy them within 24 hours!

Note: White fondant can be purchased at specialty pastry shops. It is not the same as fondant icing used for cupcakes or cake design but is white fondant used exclusively for glazing choux and éclairs. Feel free to ask me for advice if needed.