Pics n Words: Yummmy Chocolate ECLAIRS recipe...

Choux Pastry

1 cup all purpose flour (250 ml)

1 cup water (250 ml)

½ teaspoon salt (2 ml)

½ cup butter, cut into pieces (125 ml)

4 large eggs

1 beaten egg, for brushing

Cocoa Cream Pastry

1 ¾ cups whipping (35 %) cream (425 ml)

3 tablespoons icing sugar (45 ml)

3 tablespoons cocoa, sifted (45 ml)

1 teaspoon vanilla (5 ml)

1 tablespoon Kahlua or other flavoured liqueur (15 ml)

Chocolate Glaze

6 ounces semisweet chocolate (170 grams)

¾ cup thirty-five percent cream (175 ml)

2 tablespoons corn syrup (30 ml)

DIRECTIONS

Choux Pastry

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Line a large baking sheet or 2 smaller baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Sift flour with salt. Set aside.

4. Add water and pieces of butter over medium heat until mixture comes to the boil. Immediately add sifted flour mixture all at once and stir with a wooden spoon. Remove mixture from heat and continue stirring until mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return mixture to heat and stir slightly longer to dry the mixture, about 2 minutes.

5. Remove mixture from heat. Beat in one egg at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until mixture is shiny and falls from the spoon after each addition. Mixture will break apart after adding each egg but will become smooth again after stirring vigorously.

6. Using a piping bag with a large round piping tip, fill the bag ½ full. Pipe a line of choux pastry 4-inches long, spacing the pastry 2-inches apart, on prepared baking sheet. Brush pastry lightly with beaten egg. Bake until golden brown and hollow sounding, about 20 minutes. Transfer to cool on wire rack. Cool completely before filling.

Cocoa Cream Pastry

1. In a stand mixer or with electric mixer, whip cream until soft peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add icing sugar and cocoa and whip until stiff. Fold kahlua into whipped cream. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill cocoa cream for about 1 hour before filling the éclairs.

Chocolate Glaze

1. Chop chocolate finely and add to a medium bowl. Boil cream and pour over chocolate. Let stand for several minutes to start melting the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add the corn syrup and stir until smooth.

1. Carefully cut each éclair in half lengthwise.

2. Fit a piping bag with a plain tip. Fill pastry bag with the cocoa cream. Pipe the bottom half of each éclair with the cocoa cream

3. Dip the top half of the éclair lightly into the chocolate glaze, letting the excess drip off. Set the top half back onto bottom of the éclair that has been filled with the cocoa cream. (Alternatively you can also brush the chocolate glaze onto the top half of the éclair.)

4. Serve right away or keep chilled until ready to serve. Make 8 large éclairs.