Valentine's Dark Chocolate Eclairs

The eclair originated in France in the 19th century where it's name translates to "flash as lightning"...which is how they're eaten! These choux dough is the same as profiteroles which is crisp on the outside and hollow on the inside, but piped in oblong shape.  The later makes it perfect to pipe in vanilla, chocolate, or coffee pastry cream or simple whipped cream.  This recipe, which is King Arthur Flour's "bake along" for February, has chocolate pastry cream which makes them even more decadent.  Needless to say, my hubby was very happy!

Dark Chocolate Eclairs

Choux Pastry:
1 cup water
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425F-degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan and heat until the butter melts and you have a rolling boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour, all at once, stirring vigorously.  Return the pan to the burner and cook over medium heat, stirring all the while until the mixture smooths out and follows the spoon around the pan, this should take less than a minute.

Transfer this mixture to a bowl of a stand mixer (alternately, you can use a hand mixer) and allow to cool about 5-10 minutes.  You should be able to hold your finger in this mixture comfortably!

With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time.  At first, it will look curdles, but when the last egg is added it should become smooth--beat at least 2 minutes after adding the last egg.

Using a pastry bag, pipe the batter into 5" logs about 3/4" in diameter (or you can use a spoon or cookie scoop to drop small mounds of the batter, gently spreading them). A pastry bag is easier!

Bake the pastries for 15minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F-degrees and bake an additional 25 minutes, until pastries are a medium golden brown.  Don't open the oven door while the pastries are baking.

Remove the pastries from the oven and make a small slit in the top of each, then return them to the oven for 5 more minutes to allow the steam to escape.  Place them on a rack to cool completely.  When they are cool enough to handle, slice each one in half, exposing the centers to air which will keep them from becoming soggy.

Chocolate Pastry Cream
1/2 cup sugar
5 T cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa (or King Arthur Triple Cocoa Blend)
1/3 cup chopped unsweetenedd baking chocolate
1 T unsalted butter

Bring the milk and cocoa to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.  Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a mixing bowl.  Whisk in the egg yolks.  Pour a quarter of the hot milk/chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking until incorporated.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes very thick and just barely starts to bubble.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate and butter, stirring until melted and smooth.

Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing on the surface of the cream so a skim doesn't form.

Cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before filling the eclair shells.

Glaze:
2/3 cup chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream

Combine the chocolate and corn syrup in a medium bowl.  Heat the cream to simmering, then pour over the chocolate/corn syrup, stirring until melted and smooth.

To assemble the eclairs. Pipe or spoon the cream into the choux pastry bottoms, then dip the tops into the glaze.

For best results, serve immediately or refrigerate and serve within several hours.

Store any leftover eclairs, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator for a few days...they don't freeze well!  However, like it's name translates...these will be eaten quickly.  Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends--Spread love!

Chocolate Eclairs--Voila!

The little Eiffel Tower box is a keepsake from a friend in Japan that I met when I taught my 3-D flowers at a trade show.  She said to me, "it's a Japanese souvenir!"  We both laughed and hugged.

As promised...this morning I baked Chocolate Eclairs to go with the theme April in Paris.  I first made pate choux, renamed by a French chef who thought the pastries resembled little cabbages, with my Mom when we were catering a wedding for a family friend's daughter.  We filled the "cream puffs" with turkey salad, but I so enjoy making the dessert ones instead.  (You will recognize this dough as being the "filling" for my Krinklair that I make every Christmas!)  This dough is also used in profiteroles, which Erin loves filled with ice cream, cruellers, beignets, and churros to name a few.  Instead of yeast to give the rise in the dough, high moisture content creates steam that puffs the dough up.

These luscious little pastries are light as a feather with a vanilla pastry cream center and chocolate glaze and you will find these at any bakery on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris, but don't be intimidated--this version is easy and will surprise your family and friends.

Chocolate Eclairs
Pastry:
1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Quick Pastry Cream:
1 3.4 oz. Jello Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Glaze:
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 425F-degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Measure the water, butter, and salt into a 1-quart sauce pan and over medium heat, bring to a boil.  Immediately add the flour and stir until the dough forms a ball.  Cook one minute more.

Place mixture into a Kitchen Aid and using a paddle attachment, beat the mixture to help cool it down.  Start adding the eggs, one at a time and beating well after each addition.  Continue beating until the pate choux looks shiny.

Fill a pastry bag with a # 808 tip to form the dough in elongated shapes.  Once they're all done, whisk one egg with 1 1/2 teaspoons of water and brush the tops to smooth them.

Bake for 15 minutes, then, lower the oven temperature to 375-F degrees and continue baking another 20-25 minutes.  Resist opening the oven door while baking!

Remove from the oven and let cool completely while you mix up the pastry cream.

In a medium bowl, place the Jello pudding and 1 1/2 cups of milk, scrape a vanilla bean and add this paste to the mixture.  Whisk together until it thickens slightly.  In a separate bowl, place the one cup of heavy cream and using a hand held mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the cream until firm.

 
Add half of the whipped cream to the pudding mixture and stir to combine.  Add the remaining cream and fold in.  Attach tip #230 to the end of a pastry bag and fill with the pastry cream.  Pipe the mixture into the side of the pate choux.

Once all the eclairs are filled.  Mix up the chocolate glaze.

Heat the heavy cream, over medium heat, in a small sauce pan.  Place the 4 oz. of bittersweet chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over it.  Let set a few minutes, then stir to combine.  Pour the glaze into a shallow bowl.  Dip the tops of the eclairs into the glaze and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the glaze.

I found these elongated gold eclair papers at a packaging specialty store.  They make an elegant presentation to this simple dessert.

When I was in Kentucky, Ari would tell me about the little train that never gave up--"Mimi, it said, I think I can...I think I can..."  Tell yourself that and try this dessert.  Enjoy!