Eclairs

I have never made eclairs or choux pastry before, but I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. I found them quite easy to make! If you follow the instructions you will be fine! This recipe came from Donal Skehan.

Recipe

Yield: 12

Ingredients

Choux pastry:

• 60 g butter

• 130 ml water

• 80 g plain flour

• 3 eggs (beaten)

Creme Patisserie:

• 6 egg yolks

• 120g sugar

• 50 g cornflour

• 450 ml milk

• 1 vanilla pod/ 1 tsp of vanila extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 220c. To make the choux pastry, place the water and butter in a pan over a medium heat. Bring this to the boil.

Remove from the heat and add the flour. Mix together vigorously until all the ingredients come together into a dough. Place back on the heat for about 40 seconds to cook out the flour. Remove from the heat again, leave to cool slightly and add in the eggs gradually.

Transfer the choux pastry in a piping bag and pipe 10 cm eclairs onto a lined baking sheet. Make sure that there is about a 4 cm gap between each eclair. I used a round nozzle to pipe the eclairs. Make sure that when piping, you get the mixture spread out so that the eclairs are quite thick (I didn't do this, mine are too thin). Another tip is to dip your fingers into cold water to press down any pointy ends. Decrease the oven temp to 190c and cook the eclairs for about 25 minutes, or until they are golden and risen. Keep a close eye on the eclairs, they may be done sooner.

Once the eclairs are cooked, place on a wire rack and cut three holes in the bottom of each eclair to let the steam out.

Meanwhile make the creme patisserie. In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until pale. In a pan bring the milk and vanilla to a boil.

Stir in the warm milk into the egg mixture. Making sure to whisk the eggs continuously.

Transfer the mixture into the pan and place over a medium heat. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens. Put the creme patisserie into a dish and cover it directly with cling film (this avoids a skin forming). Leave to cool completely

Once the creme patisserie has cooled completely, fill the eclairs by piping into the three holes on the bottom of each eclair.

Spread chocolate ganache, salted caramel or another topping of your preference on the top. Sprinkle some crushed nuts on the top to finish them off.