Would you be open to sharing your eclair and filling recipee?
Yes! I admit I only follow the recipe fully if I’m serving guest and want it to look nice orz
Normally I don’t even wait for it to cool fully. Once I’ve waited about 30 minutes and it’s cool “enough” I split the pastry, using a teaspoon I add the praline, spoon a few tablespoons of cream over it, top with the other half of the pastry, shove it in my mouth before the cream can melt. Repeat until everything is gone. /o\ recipe can be doubled which I often do.
Praline and pastry cream can be made ahead of time.
Anything marked optional can be omitted.
French star nozzle tip Wilton 6B / Ateco 826
Baking tray + baking paper
Optional: perforated silicone mat like silikomart
If making praline: Blender
60 g Whole milk (or sub water)
70 g Bread flour/AP flour
Optional: icing sugar for dusting
50g chocolate (55-70%) , finely chopped
Optional for extra shine: 15g corn syrup or liquid glucose
150g whole hazelnuts, can be raw or roasted, salted and unsalted (can sub almond or mix)
Pinch of salt (omit if using salted nuts)
Diplomat cream (can be substituted with whipped cream below which is easier to make):
80g (~6 tbsp) white sugar
40 g (~3.5 tbsp) cornstarch
Optional: 2 gelatin leaves, (or 4g/1 tsp gelatin powder) if you want a stabilised cream
30g cold butter, cut in pieces 3 or 4 pieces
Vanilla whip cream (to sub diplomat cream):
Sift flour then measure and set aside
Place butter, water, milk, salt, and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat
As soon as the mixture starts to boil remove from heat, add the flour in one go, and whisk vigorously with a rubber spatula until it forms one smooth ball and flour bits are not visible
Place the saucepan back to the stove and cook the dough for 3-5 min over medium heat mixing constantly. During this time water will evaporates from the dough and there should be a thin skin formed on the bottom up the saucepan.
Transfer the dough into a large heat proof bowl and whisk in the egg one at a time, making sure it’s fully incorporated into the dough before adding the second egg. The dough will come together and should reach a glossy, pipeable consistency. If you lift the whisk the dough should fall down slowly. It should not be too runny but also not too stiff because it needs to be piped.
Move the dough into a pastry bag fitted with French star nozzle tip. If you have the time, refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours otherwise move on to the next step.
If you have the perforated baking sheet, set a baking rack onto a baking tray and set the sheet on top. Otherwise just place some baking paper on the baking tray.
Pipe 14 equal size eclairs on the baking mat or baking paper.
Optional: dust the piped dough lightly with icing sugar. If time allows, place the tray into the freezer at least 30 min before baking or you can also freeze the dough at this point for a longer time.
Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 392°F (no fan).
Place eclairs into the oven and lower oven temperature to 170°C / 338 F (no fan) and bake the eclairs for 40 min-45min. I like to open the oven door very quickly to let steam escape at the 30-35 minute mark. Don’t doo it earlier than 30 because the pastry can collapse. Will still be delicious but not very aesthetic.
Let cool on cooling rack for 1-2 hours.
If using gelatine, bloom in cool water and set aside until needed.
Heat the milk until scalding (small bubbles start to appear on the side but not boiling).
In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, vanilla, egg yolks, and cornstarch.
While whisking, slowly stream in the hot milk.
Pour everything back into the saucepan and whisk constantly over medium heat, until it starts to thicken.
Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and using a whisk, whisk to incorporate the gelatine if using, then the cold butter one piece at a time until incorporated.
Pour the pastry cream into a heatproof bowl (you can use the same one you used to whisk the yolks) and press cling film in the surface to prevent it from forming a skin.
Refrigerate minimum 1 hour, up to 2 days.
Prepare a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone mat.
If using unroasted nuts, preheat oven to 150°C for about 15 minutes.
Place the nuts on the baking sheet on a single layer and roast them for 10 to 15 minutes.
In a large saucepan, put 1/3 of the sugar into the pan and place on medium heat.
When the sugar starts melting , shake the saucepan to homogenize.
Add the second 1/3 of sugar. The caramel must not burn, otherwise you will have a bitterness taste in your praline.
Add the last 1/3 of sugar and vanilla essence/paste. When all the sugar is melted and turns an amber color, the caramel is ready.
Turn heat down to low and add in the roasted nuts and stir with a wooden spoon to coat them well. Stir slowly on low/medium heat while until the caramel liquefies (after adding the toasted nuts, the caramel will seize and harden which is quite normal, it will turn back into liquid).
Pour everything onto the baking sheet in a single layer and let cool and harden.
When the caramelized nuts have cooled, break the mass into small pieces and place everything in a food processor or a blender.
Start blending. Depending on how powerful your mixer is you might need to take breaks if it starts to overheat. If you use a Vitamix it will be fine. You will notice that at the beginning you get a powder, then a paste and finally a liquid praline. For the eclairs you’d want it quite liquidy.
Pour into a clean jar and refrigerate for up to 3 months.
Heat cream and glucose in a small saucepan over medium heat until scalding (small bubbles start appearing on the side but not boiling).
Pour mixture over chocolate, shake so the chocolate is submerged. Let stand for 1 minute to give chocolate time to melt.
Mix with a rubber spatula until smooth. Transfer into a wide, shallow bowl or plate large enough to dip the eclairs.
Once eclairs are fully cool, split eclair into halves lengthwise.
Dip the top half of each éclair into the chocolate. Place on a tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes until the chocolate is firm to the touch. OR you can fill the eclair and dip it normally or even just spoon the glaze over the eclair and let it drip down although you might want to make more glaze. Refrigerate to firm it up.
In a bowl on medium speed, whip the cold heavy cream to medium peaks (if possible, the bowl should be cold as well).
Take the pastry cream out of the fridge and whisk it to make it creamy and very smooth without lumps, then gently add the whipped cream using a spatula (1/3 with a whisk and 2/3 gently with a spatula).
Put the diplomat cream in a piping bag and use immediately or refrigerate until needed.
Optional vanilla whipped cream:
Place all ingredients in a bowl. Whip using an electric beater on medium high for 3 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Transfer into piping bag.
On the bottom shells of the pastry, add a layer of praline.
Pipe in a generous amount of diplomat or whipped cream.
Place the chocolate covered lid.
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