The first time I set out to make a choux pastry I was terrified. But really its one of the easiest pastries to make. Just get the quantities correct by weight and it never fails. Boil up the wet ingredients, dump in the flour mix and beat, and then beat in the eggs. Its just a shame it has so many calories and so much cholesterol otherwise I would cook it everyday. So its a few times a year for parties or fete food. Bakery eclairs are good but don't come close to an eclair eaten shortly after it was made with a pastry cream that isn't loaded with commercial fillers.
Once mastered there is a world of desserts open to you. Obviously a Crochembouche is now easy. Make small round pastries. Fill these with pastry cream and then sort into sizes. Lay the bigger ones to form a base and then using toffee as the glue build up a cone. Decorate with coloured toffee and fairy floss. I got the smallest mini whisk and cut the ends of it. Dip this in the toffee and swirl over the croquembouche.
Ingredients
125ml milk and 125ml water
5g salt and 7g sugar
110g salted batter
140g Plain flour
250ml Eggs Whisked
500ml milk
2 Tsp vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
150g sugar
2 Tbs cornflour
2 Tbs plain flour
Method::
Eclairs::
Heat the oven to 220° Heat a large glass bowl using hot tap water.
Put milk, water, salt, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and tip in the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon till combined. Heat over low heat and continue to mix for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and transfer to the heated glass mixing bowl.
Add 75ml of beaten egg and mix in till completely combined.
Add another 75ml and repeat.
Add the last 75ml and when mixed dough is ready to use.
Pipe onto a tray with baking paper. Leave room for expansion between each one.
Pop in 4 ice cubes into the bottom of the oven to create moisture which will prevent splitting
Bake in batches of 6 to 8. Bake on high shelf for 15 minutes at 220°
Open oven and rotate tray. Reduce temperature to 200° and bake for another 15 minutes.
Use use an oven mitt to keep the oven door slightly ajar during this last 15 minutes.
Pastry Cream::
Put the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to boil
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale in a mixer with the whisk attachment.
Gently mix in flours on speed 2
While mixing on speed 2 slowly pour in milk in a thin stream. Take 3 minutes to do this.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat while stirring. When it starts to thicken remove and keep mixing vigorously. It will go lumpy but just mix through this and presto it works. At this time add any additional flavourings.
Return to heat and keep mixing to finish. 30 sec or so. Then decant into a small bowl and cover closely with cling wrap and allow to cool.
Assembly::
Use piping bag with thin nozzle. Cut a knick in the end of each eclair and pump in the pastry cream. Massage to even out inside.
Dust with Icing sugar or coat with chocolate or other icing as an added touch
Once mastered there is a world of desserts open to you. Obviously a Crochembouche is now easy. Make small round pastries. Fill these with pastry cream and then sort into sizes. Lay the bigger ones to form a base and then using toffee as the glue build up a cone. Decorate with coloured toffee and fairy floss. I got the smallest mini whisk and cut the ends of it. Dip this in the toffee and swirl over the croquembouche.
Ingredients
125ml milk and 125ml water
5g salt and 7g sugar
110g salted batter
140g Plain flour
250ml Eggs Whisked
500ml milk
2 Tsp vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
150g sugar
2 Tbs cornflour
2 Tbs plain flour
Method::
Eclairs::
Heat the oven to 220° Heat a large glass bowl using hot tap water.
Put milk, water, salt, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and tip in the flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon till combined. Heat over low heat and continue to mix for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and transfer to the heated glass mixing bowl.
Add 75ml of beaten egg and mix in till completely combined.
Add another 75ml and repeat.
Add the last 75ml and when mixed dough is ready to use.
Pipe onto a tray with baking paper. Leave room for expansion between each one.
Pop in 4 ice cubes into the bottom of the oven to create moisture which will prevent splitting
Bake in batches of 6 to 8. Bake on high shelf for 15 minutes at 220°
Open oven and rotate tray. Reduce temperature to 200° and bake for another 15 minutes.
Use use an oven mitt to keep the oven door slightly ajar during this last 15 minutes.
Pastry Cream::
Put the milk and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to boil
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale in a mixer with the whisk attachment.
Gently mix in flours on speed 2
While mixing on speed 2 slowly pour in milk in a thin stream. Take 3 minutes to do this.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat while stirring. When it starts to thicken remove and keep mixing vigorously. It will go lumpy but just mix through this and presto it works. At this time add any additional flavourings.
Return to heat and keep mixing to finish. 30 sec or so. Then decant into a small bowl and cover closely with cling wrap and allow to cool.
Assembly::
Use piping bag with thin nozzle. Cut a knick in the end of each eclair and pump in the pastry cream. Massage to even out inside.
Dust with Icing sugar or coat with chocolate or other icing as an added touch
Eclairs with Vanilla Pastry Cream
Croquembouche Recipe I like it.
Croquembouche Recipe I like it.
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