happy birthday

​My son’s birthday was in January and he loves chocolate éclairs.  I found a recipe for Classic Chocolate Éclairs by Samantha Senevirate in The New York Times. In my first attempt, I used a stainless-steel cake decorating tool with poor results. Now, my granddaughter was turning two and I thought this was the perfect time for a second attempt. I was off to Shore Cake Supply in Ocean Township, NJ to select better tools, disposable piping bags and a large star piping tip.
 
For the recipe you’ll need:
 
Custard: eggs, granulated sugar, cornstarch, kosher salt, whole milk, heavy cream, a vanilla bean and unsalted butter.
 
 
 Pâte à Choux: unsalted butter, granulated sugar, salt, all-purpose flour and eggs.
 
Chocolate Glaze: heavy cream, kosher salt, bittersweet chocolate and corn syrup.

I suggest that one have some baking experience before attempting.  The piping tip that I purchased didn’t produce the large éclairs that we prefer. This could be due to my inexperience in piping.  However, they were perfect as a petite dessert. As noted by other cook’s comments on the recipe web page, the baking time and temperature may result in burnt pastry. Other recipes recommend high heat for 15 minutes, then decrease to either 350° or 375°. The custard recipe yields twice as much as needed. You have enough custard for two batches. While the custard was delicious with the addition of a vanilla bean, a thicker custard is preferred.
 
I baked the éclairs two days ahead of time and stored them in a cookie tin in a cool location. If doing ahead, I would suggest “crisping” them up before filling. Preheat your oven to 350° and pop the éclairs in for five minutes. However, since eating them, I think they should be made and eaten the same day.
 
The custard was made a day ahead. I covered the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Before filling the éclairs, the recipe called for folding in a small amount of lightly whipped cream, which slightly thinned the custard.
 
The éclairs I have eaten are always filled like a jelly donut, poke a hole and pipe in the filling. This recipe called for slicing the top third off the éclair. As mine weren’t that large in diameter, this was a bit of a challenge. I used a serrated knife and ever so delicately slit the éclair. Once the bottom was filled, the top third was to be dipped in the chocolate glaze…yikes! As my éclairs were small, this was a bit of a challenge.
 
Will I make these again? Maybe as cream puffs, but more work needs to be done to achieve the type of éclair my family prefers. ​

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​Classic Chocolate Éclairs
By Samantha Seneviraten from The New York Times and NYTCooking
 
Yield: 12 to 14 éclairs
Time: 2-1/2 hours, plus cooling
 
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CUSTARD:
6 large egg yolks
½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
¼ cup/30 grams cornstarch
 Pinch kosher salt
2 cups/480 milliliters whole milk
¾ cup/180 milliliters heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped out and reserved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
 
FOR THE PUFFS:
6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter (3/4 stick)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup/95 grams all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
​FOR THE GLAZE:
½ cup/120 milliliters heavy cream
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup/170 grams chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon corn syrup
 
PREPARATION

1. Prepare the custard: Stir together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and kosher salt in a medium saucepan until smooth. Whisk in the milk and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Add the vanilla bean and seeds and the butter and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large heatproof bowl.
2. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and making sure to get the edges, until the mixture begins to thicken, 2 to 4 minutes. (It's helpful to have both a spatula and a whisk handy while making the custard. Switch between the two.) Let it come up to a very slow boil and cook for 1 minute more. Strain the custard through the sieve into the bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 1/2 hours.
3. Prepare the puffs: Bring the butter, sugar, salt and 3/4 cup/175 milliliters water to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, add the flour, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring the dough occasionally.
4. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Add the eggs to the dough in the pan, one at a time, stirring vigorously between each addition with a wooden spoon. The dough will break apart and slide around in the pot before it comes back together. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large round or star tip. (The author used Ateco #826.)
5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe the dough into 4 1/2-inch-by-3/4-inch lengths about 3 inches apart. With a damp fingertip, flatten any points. Bake until éclairs are deep golden brown and puffed, rotating the sheets halfway through, 22 to 25 minutes. They should be very light and crisp. Turn the oven off. Poke each éclair on either end with a toothpick to allow some steam to release. Return the puffs to the oven and prop the door open a crack with a wooden spoon. Allow the puffs to dry out in the oven, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Prepare the glaze: Bring the heavy cream and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and corn syrup. Let the mixture stand for 1 minute and then whisk to make a smooth sauce.
7. To finish the custard, whip the remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream to soft peaks. Whisk the cooled custard to loosen it, then fold in the whipped cream. Transfer the custard to a pastry bag fitted with a fluted tip. Slice the top third off each éclair and fill the bases of the éclairs with custard. Dip the tops of the éclairs in the glaze and set them on top of the custard-filled bases. Serve immediately.

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