Chocolate Eclairs

I have ALWAYS wanted to try making Eclairs. Its one of those delectable pastries, that on pastry trays, are few in number and quickly taken. I have short arms (hey, I am 5 ft short) and never seem to get them in time. When I think of Eclairs, I think of the movie “Simply Irresistible” with Sarah Michelle Gellar (Amanda) and Sean Patrick Flanery (Tom). There are two scenes, one where Amanda, is happy (or in love, can’t remember) and she starts cooking, as though in a trance. She ends up making these eclairs, which she brings to Tom. Tom tries these eclairs and immediately, whatever feelings Amanda had, while making those eclairs, Tom starts feeling. He falls in love with the food and her.

Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything weird to my eclairs but I was happy, while I was making them and I am thankful to all my family and friends! Thank you all for the wonderful comments and birthday wishes!

Ingredients For Dough:

2/3 cup of milk

2/3 cup of water

1 stick of butter

1 cup of all-purpose flour

5 eggs

2 teaspoons of sugar

pinch of salt

Directions For Dough:

1. Preheat oven to 425F
2. In a medium sauce pan, combine milk, water, butter, sugar and salt. Heat until butter is melted
3. Remove from heat and add flour and whisk.
4. Cook until dough does not stick to the sides of the pan.
5. Remove from heat and add 1 egg at a time, MIXING QUICKLY after each egg (so that the egg does not cook before it is mixed in)
6. Using cooking spray, grease a baking tray
7. Place dough in a piping bag (or strong ziplock bag with corner cut out) and squeeze out finger-sized eclairs onto tray
8. Bake eclairs for 10 minutes at 425F and then decrease oven temperature to 385F and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes with oven door slightly opened.
9. Allow eclairs to cool.

 

Ingredients for Chocolate Cream Filling:

6 oz of semi-sweet baking chocolate (3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1 cup of milk

4 egg yolks

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/4 cup of flour

Directions For Filling:

1. Melt together chocolate and milk, in a medium sauce pan and then allow to cools
2. Whisk, in a separate bowl, yolks and sugar until eggs become whiter.
3. Stir in flour
4. Slowly combine chocolate milk and egg mixture and mix well
5. Return mixture to sauce pan and heat (mixing continuously) until mixture thickens
6. Allow mixture to cool.

 

Ingredients for Chocolate Icing:

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of water

Directions For Icing:

1. Melt together: chocolate, butter and water

Directions for Eclairs:

1. Make a small cut in each cooled eclair, on its side, forming a pocket.
2. Using an icing bag (Ziploc with end cut off), pipe chocolate cream filling into each eclair
3. Spread a thin layer of chocolate icing on each eclair and allow icing to harden

Serve!!

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