An unmissable classic of French pastry-making: light and crispy choux buns filled with a velvety pastry cream, all topped with a brilliant and flavorful chocolate glaze. A burst of flavors that will delight any lover of sweet treats.
⏱️125 min
📊Medium
👥12 servings
🍽️Dessert
festivefamily
Ingredients
100 gbutter
250 mlwater
130 gflour
4 pièceseggs
1 pincéefine salt
1 cuillère à cafécrystallized sugar
500 mlwhole milk
5 piècesegg yolks
100 gpowdered sugar
40 gcornstarch
1 cuillère à caféliquid vanilla
200 gdark pastry chocolate
50 gbutter for the glaze
Instructions
1PREPARE THE CHOUX PASTRY: In a saucepan, pour the water, diced butter, salt, and crystallized sugar. Heat over medium heat until the butter is completely melted and the mixture just begins to boil. The butter must be fully dissolved before boiling for a homogeneous and even pastry.
2INCORPORATE THE FLOUR: Remove from heat and add all the flour at once, mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes until you obtain a smooth and shiny paste that pulls away from the sides of the pan. This step is crucial: the paste must form a compact and homogeneous ball with no lumps.
3ADD THE EGGS: Let the pastry cool for 2 minutes, then incorporate the eggs one by one, mixing vigorously after each addition until each egg is completely incorporated. The paste should become smoother and shinier with each egg. Check that the consistency is firm but runny: it should form a ribbon when you lift it with the spoon.
4SHAPE THE ECLAIRS: Preheat the oven to 200°C. Pour the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a size 12 smooth tip. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe 10 to 12 cm long strips, spacing the eclairs 5 cm apart. Lightly moisten your finger and gently smooth the pointed tip of each eclair to prevent them from separating during baking.
5BAKE THE ECLAIRS: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 200°C without opening the door during cooking. The eclairs should be well browned and puffed up. After 30 minutes, you can slightly crack the door open to check the color. They are ready when they are crispy and a light finger press leaves no indent.
6PREPARE THE PASTRY CREAM: Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the powdered sugar until the mixture whitens and becomes frothy (about 3 minutes). Sprinkle the cornstarch and mix well. Slowly pour the boiling milk over the yolks while whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
7COOK THE CREAM: Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the cream thickens and bubbles form on the surface. It should have the consistency of a very velvety and smooth cream. Add the liquid vanilla and mix well. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, and let cool completely.
8FILL THE ECLAIRS: Once the eclairs are completely cooled, gently pierce three small holes on the underside with a small knife or wooden skewer. Transfer the cooled pastry cream into a fine piping bag and fill each eclair generously until it is well puffed. The cream should be cold and firm enough not to leak out.
9PREPARE THE CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Chop the dark pastry chocolate and place it in a heat-resistant bowl. Melt 50 g of butter, then pour it over the chocolate and wait 2 minutes without stirring. Stir with a spatula until you obtain a smooth and shiny glaze. If the glaze is too thick, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot water.
10FINAL GLAZING: Gently dip the top of each eclair into the warm chocolate glaze, then place it immediately on a wire rack. You can also use a small spoon to coat the top. Let the glaze cool and harden for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature. The eclairs are best enjoyed the same day, but can be stored for 24 hours in the refrigerator in an airtight container.