ChocolateEclairs

Pàte a Choux (Cream Puff Pastry) (Makes about 12 3 to 4 inch shells)
1 cup water
6 TB unsalted butter, cut into pieces
tsp salt
1 cup bread flour
3 large whole eggs + 1 large egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Put the water, salt, and butter into a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir until the butter melts into the water. Take the pan off the heat and dump all of the flour into the water-butter mixture. Stir until the flour is incorporated and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Return the pan to the burner and cook the mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture pulls away from the side of the pan and forms a ball. This should only take a minute or two.

Keep a bowl next to the burner in case the mixture starts to scorch. If this happens, dump the dough into the bowl, wash the pan and continue. Now add the whole eggs, one at a time to the flour mixture, off the heat, and beat until smooth. Now you have a decision to make: How much of the fourth beaten egg should you add to the mixture? You want a much egg as possible because the eggs make the dough puff, but the dough shouldn’t be so loose that it fails to hold its shape and flour gains or loses moisture depending on the ambient humidity of where it’s stored and even large eggs vary in size. The usual answer is add about half of the fourth egg. (Save the remaining beaten egg for the glaze.)

Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a to inch smooth tip and pipe the mixture onto the parchment paper. The logs should be about the size and shape of a roll of quarters. Add a teaspoon or two of water to the unused egg, beat until smooth and glaze the tops of the éclairs with the mixture. If any of the logs aren’t perfectly formed, use the pastry brush to smooth them out. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes and lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for approximately 25 minutes or until they are a dark golden color. When done, turn off the oven and allow the éclairs to remain in the oven with the door shut until they are very crispy and firm to the touch. When firm, remove the éclairs and allow to cool until you can comfortably touch them. Using a serrated knife, cut off the top third, lengthwise. With a grapefruit spoon or a melon baler, scrape out any uncooked dough which would, if not removed, eventually make the shells soggy. Put the opened shells back on the cookie sheet and return to the hopefully still warm oven and let them crisp. Now if, after all this work, the shells look rather pitiful, don’t worry about it. When they are filled and glazed, they will look much better and they will taste fabulous.

Pastry Cream
1 cups milk plus cup heavy cream OR 2 cups half and half OR 2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar, divided
pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
3 TB cornstarch
4 TB unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tsp best quality vanilla

Put whatever milk/cream mixture your conscience allows into a small saucepan. Add about half the sugar and salt and heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture simmers. Put the egg yolks into a second saucepan, add the remaining sugar and the cornstarch and beat with a hand mixer or whip until the eggs are a light, pale yellow and have thickened. Very slowly drizzle the cream mixture into the egg mixture, while constantly beating with the mixer.

Place the mixture over medium low heat and cook until the mixture starts to congeal. Immediately take off the heat and beat until smooth. Put the pan back over heat and cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts into the mixture. Add the vanilla. Turn the mixture into a small, glass bowl and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap, folding the edge of the wrap back on itself so that the outer edge of the bowl has about 1/8 inch lip to allow steam to escape. Allow custard to cool completely before using.

Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips/

Put the ingredients into a glass bowl and put into the microwave set for 5 minutes at power level 5. Cook until smooth, stopping every minute to stir. Allow to cool until barely lukewarm before using. (About 30 minutes)

Assembly — Fill shells with the pastry cream, top with lids and drizzle glaze over lids.


		Chocolate Eclairs
	Pate a Choux is a very thick flour, water and butter mixture into which are beaten whole eggs. The eggs cause the dough to puff up when baked resulting in a crispy shell, which can then be filled with myriad sweet or savory fillings. Fill a round shell with sweetened whipped cream and berries and you have a cream puff. Add a cup of grated cheese to the following mixture and form them into bite sizes and you have a special cocktail tidbit. Present a creamed filling in a puff shell and you have an elegant first course. These puffs look like they are much more trouble to make than they really are and the technique involved is very useful to have under your belt. Sue Kleber		Pàte a Choux (Cream Puff Pastry) (Makes about 12 3 to 4 inch shells) 1 cup water 6 TB unsalted butter, cut into pieces tsp salt 1 cup bread flour 3 large whole eggs + 1 large egg, beaten Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put the water, salt, and butter into a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir until the butter melts into the water. Take the pan off the heat and dump all of the flour into the water-butter mixture. Stir until the flour is incorporated and beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until smooth. Return the pan to the burner and cook the mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture pulls away from the side of the pan and forms a ball. This should only take a minute or two. Keep a bowl next to the burner in case the mixture starts to scorch. If this happens, dump the dough into the bowl, wash the pan and continue. Now add the whole eggs, one at a time to the flour mixture, off the heat, and beat until smooth. Now you have a decision to make: How much of the fourth beaten egg should you add to the mixture? You want a much egg as possible because the eggs make the dough puff, but the dough shouldn’t be so loose that it fails to hold its shape and flour gains or loses moisture depending on the ambient humidity of where it’s stored and even large eggs vary in size. The usual answer is add about half of the fourth egg. (Save the remaining beaten egg for the glaze.) Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a to inch smooth tip and pipe the mixture onto the parchment paper. The logs should be about the size and shape of a roll of quarters. Add a teaspoon or two of water to the unused egg, beat until smooth and glaze the tops of the éclairs with the mixture. If any of the logs aren’t perfectly formed, use the pastry brush to smooth them out. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes and lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for approximately 25 minutes or until they are a dark golden color. When done, turn off the oven and allow the éclairs to remain in the oven with the door shut until they are very crispy and firm to the touch. When firm, remove the éclairs and allow to cool until you can comfortably touch them. Using a serrated knife, cut off the top third, lengthwise. With a grapefruit spoon or a melon baler, scrape out any uncooked dough which would, if not removed, eventually make the shells soggy. Put the opened shells back on the cookie sheet and return to the hopefully still warm oven and let them crisp. Now if, after all this work, the shells look rather pitiful, don’t worry about it. When they are filled and glazed, they will look much better and they will taste fabulous. Pastry Cream 1 cups milk plus cup heavy cream OR 2 cups half and half OR 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup sugar, divided pinch of salt 5 large egg yolks 3 TB cornstarch 4 TB unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 tsp best quality vanilla Put whatever milk/cream mixture your conscience allows into a small saucepan. Add about half the sugar and salt and heat over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture simmers. Put the egg yolks into a second saucepan, add the remaining sugar and the cornstarch and beat with a hand mixer or whip until the eggs are a light, pale yellow and have thickened. Very slowly drizzle the cream mixture into the egg mixture, while constantly beating with the mixer. Place the mixture over medium low heat and cook until the mixture starts to congeal. Immediately take off the heat and beat until smooth. Put the pan back over heat and cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts into the mixture. Add the vanilla. Turn the mixture into a small, glass bowl and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap, folding the edge of the wrap back on itself so that the outer edge of the bowl has about 1/8 inch lip to allow steam to escape. Allow custard to cool completely before using. Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup dark corn syrup 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips/ Put the ingredients into a glass bowl and put into the microwave set for 5 minutes at power level 5. Cook until smooth, stopping every minute to stir. Allow to cool until barely lukewarm before using. (About 30 minutes) Assembly — Fill shells with the pastry cream, top with lids and drizzle glaze over lids.
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