Recipe for a traditional French pastry: the chocolate éclair

C’est an institution in French pastry. A delicacy that is eaten “in a flash.”

Let yourself be tempted by the flavors of this inimitable dessert. With this tutorial by Éric Kayser, choux pastry, icing, and cream will no longer hold any secrets from you.

If you wish, you can prepare your choux pastry by following my chouquettes recipe.

Mix the milk and fresh cream, and pour into your saucepan over medium heat.
Make sure your mixture does not stick to the bottom while you mix the other ingredients.

Mix the egg yolks, cornstarch, and sugar until the mixture lightens.

Once your milk reaches a boil, pour the liquid into the bowl containing the egg-cornstarch-sugar mixture, off the heat.
Continue whisking until you obtain a smooth, lump-free mixture.

Pour your new mixture back into the saucepan over heat.
Whisk until the mixture thickens.

Add half of your chocolate. Stir until melted.
Add the rest of the chocolate and stir until your chocolate pastry cream is smooth and lump-free.

Pour into a new bowl.
Rub butter over the surface of the cream to prevent it from forming a crust too quickly.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Place in the refrigerator for at least three hours.

Soften your gelatin in cold water.
Pour a little water into the bottom of your saucepan and add your gelatin. Stir until it is completely melted. Be careful that the gelatin does not stick to the bottom or burn.

Add sugar to your melted gelatin.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, mix the icing ingredients: butter, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate.

Off the heat, add your chocolate preparation to the saucepan with the boiled gelatin and sugar.
Return to heat and mix until the glaze thickens.

Pour this mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Let cool in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Put your choux pastry into a piping bag.
Pipe lines the size of your éclair onto parchment paper.
Be sure to leave space between the éclairs, as they will expand during baking.

Bake at 180°C for about twenty minutes.
They should be slightly dry to prevent them from softening too much when you add the cream.

Make a small hole at one end of your éclair using your piping tip.

Fill your piping bag with the cooled chocolate pastry cream.
Fill the choux with this cream.
Be sure to fill the entire inside of the éclair, but do not overfill, or your choux may burst.

Lightly whisk your glaze after removing it from the refrigerator to mix any crust that may have formed on the surface.
Spread the glaze with your finger or by dipping the top of the éclair into the mixture.

Let cool in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to set the glaze.

A treat to be devoured in an éclair.