French Chocolate Éclairs

Method

1. 1

   Ahead: make the pastry cream. Split a vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Place the vanilla pod and seeds and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. 2

   Ahead. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the egg yolks until a thick paste forms. Slowly add the hot milk to the eggs ½ cup at a time, whisking constantly to slowly increase the temperature of the egg yolks. Return the mixture back to the saucepan and cook until it just comes up to a simmer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.

3. 3

   Ahead. Strain the mixture onto a sheet tray lined with plastic wrap. Cover the top directly with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer to chill.

4. 4

   Make the pâte à choux. Preheat your oven to 425F. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt together the butter and water until combined and starting to boil.

5. 5

   Add in the flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt and mix to combine. Cook until a film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Stir in the 8 eggs, two at a time, until the mixture is fully combined and is thick and glossy. If the mixture is too stiff, add in an additional egg or two.

6. 6

   Transfer mixture into a piping bag with an Ateco 825 tip. Pipe thick 4 inch lines of the pastry onto a parchment lined sheet tray, leaving 2” between each eclair. Place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 375F. Bake until golden brown, about 30-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

7. 7

   Make the chocolate glaze. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and corn syrup. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Drop in the bittersweet chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute to melt. Whisk until everything is well combined.

8. 8

   Whisk in the powdered sugar and stir until lump free. Season with a pinch of salt. Cover until ready to use. Re-warm as needed over low heat and thin with additional water and cream as needed.

9. 9

   Assemble the eclairs. Transfer the pastry cream to a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 805 tip. Using a paring knife, two small “x” in the bottom of the eclair on opposite ends. Insert the tip in the “x” and fill until the puff is full and has puffed up slightly and feels heavier.

10. 10

    Continue to fill all of your eclairs and then dip in the chocolate glaze. Line up your eclairs on a sheet tray and bask in your pastry prowess!