This recipe makes 12 mini eclairs or 6 large ones.
Author: ev@shadesofcinnamon.com
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6
Ingredients
To Make Amarula Crème Patisserie
(If you are making Creme Patisserie without the alcohol use 250ml milk and no Amarula)
200 full cream milk
25g sugar
3 egg yolks
25g sugar
pinch of salt
10g plain flour
10g cornflour
50ml Amarula liquor
For the eclairs
Makes 12 small eclairs
80ml milk
80ml water
70g butter
pinch of salt
10g sugar
100g plain flour
2 eggs
To assemble:
Slice the eclairs in half and fill with the Amarula Cream.
Decorate ⅓ or the eclairs with a chocolate glaze :
In a double boiler combine 80g dark chocolate, 2 Tablespoons butter and allow to melt. Add a few sdrop of milk to get a thick pouring consistency.
Decorate ⅓ of the eclairs with toasted almonds:
Toast 50g almonds in a saucepan on medium heat. Watch and turn so that the almonds don’t catch or burn. With a little of the egg glaze mix coat your fingers and brush over the eclairs. Sprinkle with cooled almonds and dust with icing sugar.
Decorate ⅓ of the eclairs with caramelized pears:
In a pot add thinly sliced pears , ⅓cup sugar and ⅓cup water and allow to cook slowly and brown. Cool before adding inside the eclairs with the crème patissiere and decorate the top with more.
If you would rather just make chocolate eclairs, triple the amount of chocolate
Instructions
To make the creme patissiere:
Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the sugar .
Put the egg yolks, sugar and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the flour and conflour and combine. Set aside
Place the milk mixture onto high heat and just before it starts to boil, remove from the heat and add a third of the milk mixture to the egg mixture.
Whisk quickly and then add this combined egg/milk mixture to the pan with the boiled milk.
Keep whisking until the mixture has thickened and reached boiling point. Allow to thicken while whisking , this should take about 2 minutes.
Take off the stove and add the Amarula at this stage and whisk to combine.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, placed directly onto the crème so that it doesn’t form a skin. Allow to cool and then spoon into piping bag to fill the eclairs. You could also spoon the mixture onto the cut open eclairs.
To make the eclairs:
Preheat oven to 150ºC.
Pour the milk and water into a pan, add the butter, salt and sugar.
Place this over a high heat until the butter has melted.
Bring to the boil and allow to boil for 3 seconds.
Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once, mixing vigorously until you cant see any flour in the mixture.
Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork.
Add half the egg mixture to the pan and beat until the mixture is combined.
Gradually add the other half egg mixture, a little at a time making sure the consistency is firm. The consistency of the mixture should stick to the spatula but fall off with a solid break.
Place into piping bag and pipe out 12 small eclairs onto a greased baking tray.
Brush top with an egg wash or water.
Bake in a 150ºC oven for 55 minutes or until golden brown. Do not open the door during cooking time, as the eclairs will collapse.
Cut small slit in the side of the eclairs once out the oven to allow any excess air to escape, this will help in drying out your éclair. Allow to cool
Recipe by Shades of Cinnamon at https://www.shadesofcinnamon.com/eclairs/