Saturday 16 March 2013

Chocolate Éclairs

The french word "Éclair" literally means "flash of lightning".  An Éclair is an oblong choux pastry filled with either vanilla or chocolate pudding/custard or whipped cream.


Ingredients (yields 12 pieces):
1 cup (250 ml capacity) water
80 g butter
1 cup plain flour, to be sifted
4 eggs "M" size

130 g dark chocolate, to be melted
65 g butter, to be melted

Filling:  1 packet of Dr. Oetker Original Chocolate Pudding - prepare according to packet instructions.  Once done, transfer to a plastic bowl and let it cool down before storing in the fridge for one hour.

Method:
In a pot, add butter and water.  Bring to boil.  Then, add flour all at once and stir thoroughly over medium heat until mixture leaves the sides of pot and forms a smooth dough.

Transfer to a mixer bowl and let it cool down slightly.  Add the eggs one at a time, one needs to beat the egg slightly before adding to the dough.  Beat well after each addition.  Mixture should be glossy.

By using an icing bag with a 2 cm diameter plain nozzle, pipe out 12 cm lengths onto a baking tray which is lined with baking paper.  Ensure that the lengths are about 3 or 4 cm apart from each other.


Bake in a preheated conventional oven (no fan) at 220° C for about ten minutes.  Then, lower oven heat to 200° C and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the top is light brown and crispy.  Once done, remove from oven and cut eclairs in half.  Remove any soft dough in the centre at the same time.  Note:  One must work fast in order that the baked pastry do not "collapse". Return halved eclairs with cut sides facing upwards back to oven and bake for 5 or 10 minutes in order that they dry up.  Remove and let them cool on a wire rack.


In a bain-marie, melt chocolate and butter together over medium heat.  Dip top half of each eclair in mixture and leave aside to dry.  Then, join eclair halves by adding chocolate pudding in the centre.

Happy Baking!

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