That’s how i roll

ECLAIR ROLL (SERVES 4-6)

INGREDIENTS:

For the choux pastry: 200ml water; 85g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing; 1tbsp caster sugar; a pinch of salt; 115g plain flour, sifted; 3 medium eggs, beaten For the filling: 300ml whipping cream; 2tbsp icing sugar; 1tsp vanilla bean paste; 4tbsp salted caramel;

For the ganache: 200g dark chocolate; 100ml double cream; 100g milk chocolate, shaved

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/180˚C fan/gas mark 6. Lightly grease a baking tray and line it with baking paper.

2. To make the pastry, put the water, butter, sugar and salt into a pan on a medium to high heat. Just barely bring to the boil, so the sugar and butter dissolve, then turn the heat down and drop the flour in in one go. Stir straight away and keep going, to avoid lumps. The mixture should look smooth and come away from the sides of the pan as you mix it.

3. Take off the heat. Add the eggs a little at a time, mixing after each addition. It will look like it is separating, but keep mixing – it will come together. Keep going until the eggs are used up and the dough is smooth.

4. Pour the mixture into the centre of the tray. Using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the mixture to a rectangle shape, roughly 20x30cm. Wet your fingers and pat down any peaks then cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

5. Have a clean tea towel ready, then take the roll out of the oven and turn it out onto it. Roll up the pastry from the shorter end, using the tea towel to help – being sure to roll up the tea towel inside the pastry too. Leave for 20mins to cool.

6. For the filling, whip cream to soft peaks with the icing sugar and vanilla bean paste.

7. For the ganache, chop the dark chocolate and put it into a bowl. Warm the cream in a pan, being careful not to let it boil. As soon as it comes to the boil, take it off the heat and pour onto the chocolate. Mix until the chocolate has melted completely.

8. Unroll the pastry and spread the cream all over. Drizzle over the salted caramel. Re-roll the pastry, starting from the shorter end as before (this time don’t wrap up the tea towel – tea towels are not tasty).

9. Put the roll on a serving plate and spread the ganache on top. Sprinkle shavings of milk chocolate over and leave in the fridge when you are not eating it. If it makes it to the fridge at all, that is!