EDWARD ENTERTAINS
THIS WEEK: EDWARD’S CHOCOLATE ÉCLAIRS
Serves 12-15
People tend to have a fear of choux pastry and so rarely or never make it. It is, in fact, one of the easiest pastries to make providing you follow the very simple rules. Éclairs are a very popular option and if you are going visiting family and friends I’m sure that a plate of chocolate éclairs would be very gratefully received, or if you serve them to your own guests, they’ll be sure to come again!
RECIPE
Éclairs:
* 9floz/250ml cold water * 4oz/110g butter
* Pinch of sugar and salt * 5oz/150g strong flour * 4 large eggs
Filling:
* 8floz/225ml whipped cream
Icing:
* 4oz/110g dark chocolate * 2floz/50ml pouring cream
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas Mark 4
Grease two baking sheets with melted butter.
Put the butter, water, salt & sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
It is important that the mixture comes to the boil, if you just melt it and do not allow it to come to the boil the mixture will go dramatically wrong.
Take the saucepan off the heat.
Sift the flour and add it, in one piece, to the boiling liquid.
Stir rapidly with a wooden spoon.
Return the saucepan to the heat and beat continuously until the mixture comes clean away from the sides of the saucepan. You are cooking the flour at this stage.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool for about five minutes.
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together, then slowly beat them into the cooked paste. I tend to use an electric whisk as the mixture can be quite stiff. Add the eggs little by little, beating thoroughly between each addition.
Using a piping bag, pipe the choux pastry into long strips about 4 inches / 10cm long. You should get approximately 12-15 éclairs out of the mix. Bake for 30-35 minutes until they should sound hollow when tapped on the underneath. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile make the icing. Place the cream into a medium saucepan and heat gently.
Chop the chocolate into pieces and whisk it into the warmed cream and whisk continuously over a low heat until a smooth glossy icing is achieved.
When they are cool, split each éclair, fill with the whipped cream and spread each éclair with the dark chocolate ganache topping.