Chocolate Eclair Recipe Pate & Choux Method Bring water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil ina medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, unti' mixture pulls away from sides for about 2 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or whisk if using a Magic Mill Mixer. Mix ‘on low speed for about 1 minute to get the steam out and cool down a bit, then add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, until a soft peak forms when batter is touched with your finger. if peak does not form, add remaining egg or haif of it. Follow the same method if mixed by hand using a rubber spatula. Pipe eclairs or religieuses and heads on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment using a 5/8” / 0.625” / 15.8 mm open star pastry tip. The use of star piping tip (or nozzle) to pipe pate a choux is essential to allowing the batter to expand evenly with minimal cracking during the baking process. ‘The ridges created by piping the pate 2 choux with a star tip creates gaps that allows the choux to expand evenly during baking. Dust eclairs and religieuses with powdered sugar before baking instead of using egg wash. Unbaked piped pate & cchoux can be refrigerated a couple of days or frozen for weeks before being baked; place frozen eclairs or religieuses on a baking tray and bake right away in the preheated oven. Baking ‘Set the oven rack adjusted to the middle position. Bake one sheet ata time ~ 10 eclairs or choux ILusing a conventional oven: Bake in a preheated 450°F (230°C) oven for 5 minutes, then lower temp to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking for 30 minutes more. Do not open the oven door during baking or it will deflate. Then, turn oven off leaving the oven door ajar to allowing pate & choux to dry for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let ool completely on wire rack. {using a convection oven: Lower temperature to 25°F (15°C) and shorten the baking time by 6 minute or 80. Baked pate a choux can be refrigerated days or frozen for months before being filled.Chocolate Custard & Icing Re Makes ~ 12 Eclairs or 10 Religieuses / Measuring by weight is far more accurate than meas consistently excellent products, use a scale. by volume. If you are serious abou! baking and want to produce Chocolate Mixture O.Scup (125ml) milk 1.4 ounces (40g) red cocoa powder 4.3 ounces (130g) dark chocolate 58 to 64% Custard 2 cups (500ml) milk 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp (60g) granulated sugar 1.ea. vanilla bean, scrap out the seeds or 4 tsp (Sm) vanilla extract 5 ea, (1009) egg yolks (save egg whites for later use as macaroon, financiers...) 41/4 cup + 4 Tbsp (60g) granulated sugar 4.4 ounces (40g) comstarch Chocolate Icing (Ganache Glaze) 3/4 cup (190ml) heavy cream / 7 Tbsp (10g) red cocoa powder / 5 ounces (150g) bittersweet chocolate. "Most professional patisseries use icing fondant to glaze eclairs and religieuses. Since icing fondant isn’t available in most grocery stores, also requiring some practice, the use of alternative icings is more than welcome. Not as glossy as the icing fondant, this soft ganache will do the trick and tastes better than icing fondant which is basically cooked sugar. For the Method: check out my website: www,brunoskitchen.netChocolate Custard & Icing Recipes Method For the chocolate mixture: bring milk to boil and turn off the heat, Mix in the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder until ‘smooth; use an immersion blender if necessary and set aside, For the custard: Bring milk, suger end vanilla to @ boil. Meanwhile beat egg yolks and sugar and add comstarch. When the milk boils remove from the heat and temper the yolk mixture with one-third of the hot milk whisking constantly. Pour the tempered mixture into the saucepan and return to the heat; bring (pastry cream / créme palissiére) to boil and cook for 2 minutes whisking swiftly on medium heat. Remove from the stove and mix in the chocolate mixture (light chocolate ganache) ass through a fine mesh-sieve and cool down completely, cover with plastic wrap in contact to prevent a skin from forming. Wash off the vanilla pod and let dry; save later use. Once completely chilled, whisk the chocolate custard until smooth by hand or using a stand mixer fitted the paddle attachment. Make holes on the backs of pate & choux: skip this step if using a Bismarck tip. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain pastry tip or a Bismarck tio, gently pipe the custard generously into the eolairs or choux and with the tip of a knife, wipe any cream excess that might have escaped from the pate a choux... Refrigerate completely before dipping into the glaze or place in the freezer for an hour. For the chocolate icing (ganache glaze): Melt chocolate over a water-bath. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just unti it oils. Turn off the heat and mix in the red cocoa powder. Pour the hot chocolate cream over the melted chocolate and stir until smooth and strain in a fine mesh sieve. Set aside and cool down to 105°F (40°C) before using. This glaze can be made up to 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, and rewarm in a microwave or over hot water when ready to use. For the finish: Dip the tops of the chilled eciairs or choux in the warm chocolate icing and set on a sheet pan. To finish the religieuses, chill remaining chocolate icing and whip until i's light and fluffy. Using a very small open start pastry tip, pipe small drops of of the whipped icing all around the neck of the religieuses. The use of softened coffee, vanilla or chocolate butter ‘cream will produce better results. Eclairs or religiouses can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Do not freeze,