If I had to choose my favorite dessert I think I will go with the simple eclair filled with creme patissier; naturally it was one of the first recipes I mastered. Afterall, it's one of the few recipes that only require a sauce pan and a wooden spoon to create...no heavy artillery required. What I find amazing is how simple the choux pastry is, at least theoretically, yet when I first started making them my failures where of every kind from eggy eclairs, to almost flat and finally the heavy rock hard eclairs. The secret to making the perfect eclairs is the simple fact that baking is science and science is accuracy and accuracy needs an electronic kitchen scale.
My recipe comes from a book I hold dear to my heart and has every stain imaginable...it is my goto cookbook to many basic recipes.
Choux pastry (courtesy of Leith's cookery bible, Leith and Waldergrave)
ingredients:
85 g butter
200 ml water
105 g plain flour
a pinch of salt
3 eggs
1. Preheat oven to 200 C /400 F.
2. Put butter and water in a heavy saucepan and bring slowly to boil.
3. As soon as it boils tip the sifted flour and salt and remove the pan from heat stirring continuously.
4. Quickly beat the mixture until it is smooth and leave the sides the pan.
5. Let the mixture cool any way you want. I usually transfer to glass bowl to simplify mixing the eggs, you can use a stand mixer from this stage on, I prefer the wooden spoon it gives me more control.
6. Beat in the eggs a little at a time until it is soft and shiny and smooth. you may require more or less eggs depending on their size. The mixture should be dropping consistency i.e it will fall off a spoon reluctantly in one blob.
7. Pipe on baking sheets whatever shape you prefer and the bake for 25-30 minutes until crisp and pale brown.
8. Make a small hole in the side of each eclair, I usually use the same hole to fill later on, then return to oven to dry out.
This will make around 20 mini eclairs i usually double that since my family loves them and they actually taste better after resting for a day in the fridge filled and glazed.
Creme Patissiere
290 ml milk
2 egg yolks
55 g sugar
20 g flour
20 g cornflour
1. Bring the milk to just below boiling point.
2. Cream the egg with sugar and a little hot milk pour on the rest of the milk return to heat and mix well bring slowly to boil it will become lumpy don't worry just keep mixing until it is smooth be quick. Remove from heat add vanilla.
The choux pastry can be filled with anything your heart desires can be shaped like small balls and turned into a croquembouche or turned into a saint honore cake. Master this basic choux pastry and you will create wonders.
My recipe comes from a book I hold dear to my heart and has every stain imaginable...it is my goto cookbook to many basic recipes.
Choux pastry (courtesy of Leith's cookery bible, Leith and Waldergrave)
ingredients:
85 g butter
200 ml water
105 g plain flour
a pinch of salt
3 eggs
1. Preheat oven to 200 C /400 F.
2. Put butter and water in a heavy saucepan and bring slowly to boil.
3. As soon as it boils tip the sifted flour and salt and remove the pan from heat stirring continuously.
4. Quickly beat the mixture until it is smooth and leave the sides the pan.
5. Let the mixture cool any way you want. I usually transfer to glass bowl to simplify mixing the eggs, you can use a stand mixer from this stage on, I prefer the wooden spoon it gives me more control.
6. Beat in the eggs a little at a time until it is soft and shiny and smooth. you may require more or less eggs depending on their size. The mixture should be dropping consistency i.e it will fall off a spoon reluctantly in one blob.
7. Pipe on baking sheets whatever shape you prefer and the bake for 25-30 minutes until crisp and pale brown.
8. Make a small hole in the side of each eclair, I usually use the same hole to fill later on, then return to oven to dry out.
This will make around 20 mini eclairs i usually double that since my family loves them and they actually taste better after resting for a day in the fridge filled and glazed.
Creme Patissiere
290 ml milk
2 egg yolks
55 g sugar
20 g flour
20 g cornflour
1. Bring the milk to just below boiling point.
2. Cream the egg with sugar and a little hot milk pour on the rest of the milk return to heat and mix well bring slowly to boil it will become lumpy don't worry just keep mixing until it is smooth be quick. Remove from heat add vanilla.
The choux pastry can be filled with anything your heart desires can be shaped like small balls and turned into a croquembouche or turned into a saint honore cake. Master this basic choux pastry and you will create wonders.
