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Éclairs (French Éclairs)

french-eclairÉclairs (French for lightning) are believed to have received their name because of how the light would reflect off of them after a coating of confectioner’s glaze. The oldest recipe for these tasty treats can be found in the Boston Cooking School Cook Book, published in 1884. Today, éclairs are becoming increasingly popular in France and throughout the world, and have begun to sport new fillings such as green tea and lemon cream. With its shiny glaze, crisp exterior, and lighter-than-air filling, the éclair symbolizes the ultimate sublimation of classic French baking principles, providing an incredible vessel for utilizing a myriad of different flavour combinations. Éclairs share the same dough, known as pâte à choux, with other traditional sweets like profiteroles, gougères, and croquembouche. However, it is the filling and glaze that make the éclair so truly exceptional. They are traditionally filled with vanilla or chocolate pastry cream and glazed with chocolate ganache, but today pastry cream serves as a base for any flavour imaginable, from salted caramel, pistachio, bergamot, or coffee to green tea and rhubarb. Some chefs have even begun making various savoury versions of the éclair with ham, smoked salmon, and foie gras. Despite its simplicity, the humble éclair is one of the most flexible pastries, and it can be a visually stunning dessert when made with care.

The humble history of this ever-popular dessert dates back to the 19th century, when some believe they were first made by Marie-Antoine Carême, the internationally-renowned French chef to royalty. Before the 19th century, a similar chocolate choux pastry dessert called petite duchess existed, and it is thought to be the inspiration for the creation of the éclair. Since then, a plethora of versions and flavours have been invented, and today, the most famous éclairs can be found in Paris in places such as L’Éclair de Génie and l'Atelier de l'Éclair.

Choux pastry does not use any leavening agents and instead puffs up because of the steam that is created during baking. Following the recipe and precisely measuring the quantities is key.

Pastry:
1 cup hot water
½ tsp. sea salt
½ cup butter
1½ cup pastry flour
5 eggs, yolks and whites beaten separately

Cream:
2 cups milk, boiled
2 Tbsp. cornstrch
3 eggs, well beaten
¾ cup granulated or caster sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. butter

In a saucepan, heat up water with salt and butter. When the mixture boils, add the flour all at once and stir quickly. Keep stirring for five minutes. Leave the mixture to cool a bit and start adding eggs, one by one, mixing until incorporated after each addition.

Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and start piping 4x0.5" shapes on a buttered baking pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 180°C or until they are golden brown. When baked, leave to cool, then split and fill with cream; top with vanilla or chocolate icing.

For the cream, mix the cornstarch, eggs, sugar and salt in a small bowl. Boil the milk and add it gradually to the egg mixture, mixing constantly. Return the mixture to the low heat and cook until thickened. Once cool, cream the butter and mix with the cream. Now you can add flavours, such as lemon, almond, or vanilla.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

  • FILLING: Éclairs are usually cut in half before filling with pastry cream. However, this makes them dry out very quickly as the dough is delicate and starts to lose moisture almost instantly, and by the end of the day, a hard crust is developed. The best way to fill them is to inject them with filling or whipped cream, thus avoiding the drying of the dough.
  • HOW SHOULD AN ÉCLAIR LOOK LIKE: Éclairs, once finished, should be perfectly straight, uncracked and puffed up, the shell should be golden brown, thin and crunchy. They should be served immediately after filling so the dough doesn't become soggy and lose its crunch. Alternatively, if you're not filling the éclairs right away, you may make a slit in the shell to let the steam escape, otherwise, if left unattended, the steam will condense, and the shell will deflate. The glaze should glisten in the light and should be thick enough to form a clear edge between the pastry and the glaze.
  • LEAVENING: Don't be intimidated that the recipe for this dough does not call for any leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda. What makes this dough rise and puff up while baking is the steam that forms from the evaporation of water. Milk and sugar, however, serve to make éclairs golden in the process during which amino acids in milk non-enzymatically react with simple carbohydrates in sugar forming advanced glycation products making the dough deeply golden colour.
  • TIMING: It is best to make the pastry cream in advance, preferably a whole day before filling the éclairs to make sure that the cream is chilled through. You can even mix it a little bit more with the mixer to smooth it out and make it even creamier before filling the éclairs. You can also bake the shells in advance, just make sure you store them in an air-tight container before refrigerating them. You can even freeze baked shells for up to a month.
  • FLAVOURING: Feel free to get creative when it comes to the filling. Try adding some melted chocolate, either dark or light. Best quality vanilla, scraped bean or extract, is a great addition to any other flavour or can be added on its own. Espresso shot or a couple of tsp. of instant coffee makes for a great addition. Pistachio paste, almond paste, hazelnut or macadamia paste is excellent to mix with the pastry cream. Caramel, dulce de leche, a sprinkle of sea salt, raspberry purée, a few tsp. of matcha, and even a light miso paste are all great flavours you can experiment with. To make the filling fluffier and creamier, add some whipped cream to the chilled pastry cream, folding it ever so gently until just incorporated.
  • GLAZING: You can glaze the éclair with a simple sugar glaze, flavoured or coloured to complement the filling, or chocolate ganache, either white, milk or dark. Decorate the éclairs with some crushed nuts, fresh berries, or a dusting of chili or matcha powder. You can even add some gold leaves or edible glitter to make them even more special.
  • FLOUR: It is best to use the flour with the highest protein content you can find, as that will ensure that the éclairs rise properly and do not collapse or crack at the top.