Cheater Eclairs With Strawberry Cream Recipes

MINI ECLAIRS WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Bring milk, water, butter, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, and stir in flour. Return to heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed to cool slightly, about 1 minute. With machine running, add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip.
• Pipe twenty 2 1/2-inch-long eclairs onto each sheet. Bake until eclairs rise and are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
• Split eclairs in half lengthwise using a serrated knife. Pipe vanilla cream onto eclair bottoms. Spoon macerated berries on top of cream, and sandwich with eclair tops. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.
• Bake the mini eclairs the day you plan on serving them.

CHEATER ECLAIRS WITH STRAWBERRY CREAM

Steps:

• Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven to 315 degrees F. Have a cooling rack set over a paper towel-lined baking sheet ready.
• Combine the strawberries and sugar in a large bowl and toss well. Set aside to macerate at room temperature.
• Separate a biscuit and stretch it slightly into an oblong shape. Starting on the short end, tuck and roll into a 5-inch-long log. Repeat with the remaining biscuits. Working in 2 batches, fry the biscuits until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per batch. Drain on the cooling rack.
• Drain the berries, reserving the liquid in the bowl (you should have about 3 tablespoons of liquid). Whisk the cream and vanilla in an electric mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the reserved berry liquid and whip to soft peaks. Set aside.
• To assemble, split the fried biscuits into 2 pieces lengthwise with a serrated knife. Set the bottom halves on a platter and top the halves with the strawberries. Top with the whipped cream.
• Place the fudge sauce in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until in 15-second increments, stirring in between, until the sauce is warm and becomes thin. Dip the tops of the other halves in the warm fudge sauce. The sauce should be loose enough to coat the tops easily; if it's not, reheat it and, if necessary, thin it out with a little canola or vegetable oi). Set the dipped tops over the whipped cream.

CHEAT'S CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Whisk cream, vanilla and icing sugar together in bowl until thick.
• Place the bases of biscuits on a wire rack.
• Spoon on to them the cream mixture.
• Top with remaining biscuits.
• Mix together the melted chocolate and oil.
• Spread this mixture over the tops of the biscuits.
• Serve within the hour or they will go soft.

MINIATURE STRAWBERRY ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with foil. Grease foil; dust with matzo cake meal. Combine water, margarine, sugar and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Add 1 cup cake meal and beat with wooden spoon until mixture comes together into ball, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Using handheld electric mixer, add 4 eggs 1 at a time and beat until smooth after each. Transfer batter to pastry bag fitted with large (1/2- to 5/8-inch) plain round tip. Pipe out 3-inch-long logs onto prepared sheets, spacing evenly. Brush tops with glaze, using brush to smooth shape where necessary.
• Bake pastries until firm and deep golden brown, reversing sheets halfway, about 35 minutes. Cut small slit in side of each pastry to allow steam to escape. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Freeze in heavy sealable plastic bags. Bake frozen pastries on baking sheet in 400°F. oven until hot and crisp, about 8 minutes; cool before using.)
• Combine sugar, potato starch and cake meal in heavy medium saucepan; whisk to blend. Gradually whisk in nondairy creamer, then yolks. Add margarine, vanilla bean and lemon peel. Whisk over medium heat until very thick and just beginning to bubble, about 8 minutes. Whisk in brandy. Transfer to small bowl; discard vanilla bean. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, stirring occasionally, about 6 hours.
• Puree 1 1/2 baskets strawberries and raspberries in blender or processor. Strain. Mix in sugar, refrigerate until chilled. (Pastry cream and sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover, keep chilled.)
• Cut off top third of pastries. Press down any dough in center. Whisk pastry cream to smooth if necessary. Fill bottom of each pastry with about 1 tablespoon pastry cream. Overlap 3 strawberry halves on cream. Arrange top of pastry over strawberries. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; refrigerate.)
• Arrange 2 éclairs on each plate. Serve with berry sauce.