Eclairs originate in France around the 1860s and are thought to have been first made by the famous French chef Antonin Carême. By the mid 1880s, the recipe had made its way across the Atlantic to the East Coast of the United States, where it began appearing in cookbooks and bakeries. This cream-filled, chocolate-iced choux pastry is named for the French word for “flash of lightning,” because it so delicious that it is consumed in a flash.
Some pastries currently sold in the United States as eclairs actually Long Johns made with doughnut pastry, which does not puff up in the characteristic way that choux dough does. Whether the eclairs are filled with custard, cream, or chestnut puree, the steam-puffed pastry is key to an authentic preparation.
Recipe Servings: 9
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup butter, cubed
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing baking sheet
Filling:
- 5.1 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2½ cups cold milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting:
- 2 oz semisweet chocolate
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- 2–3 Tbsp hot water
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil.
- Add the flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Continue to beat until the mixture is smooth and shiny.
- Grease a baking sheet. Working with a tablespoon or a pastry tube with a large tip, form the dough into 4 x 1½-inch strips on the baking sheet.
- Bake the pastry for 35–40 minutes, until puffed and golden.
- Remove to a wire rack and split in half, removing the tops and setting aside. Scoop the soft dough out of the interior of each and discard. Let cool to room temperature.
- Beat the pudding mix and milk together in a large bowl.
- Whisk the cream, in a separate bowl, until soft peaks form.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the cream, whisking to combine, and then fold the mixture into the pudding.
- Spoon filling onto each eclair bottom and then place the tops of the pastries over the filling.
- In a heat-proof dish, melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and hot water as needed for a smooth consistency, mixing to thoroughly dissolve and combine.
- After cooling slightly, frost the tops of the eclairs. Store refrigerated.
For Pastry:
For Filling:
For Frosting:
Recipe introduction and directions © Copyright 2016-2024 World Trade Press. All rights reserved.