Spring Pastel Eclairs Recipes

ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with a rack in the center. Line two unrimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats (French nonstick baking mats).
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (Ateco No. 806) tip with pate a choux batter; pipe out oblong shapes, about 3 1/2 inches long and 1 inch wide, onto prepared baking sheets at 2-inch intervals. Gently run a fork dipped in water along each top, making straight lines to ensure even rising.
• Cover one baking sheet with lightly oiled plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator. Transfer the second sheet to the oven. Bake 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Turn off oven; prop door open slightly to let steam escape. Allow eclairs to dry in oven about 15 minutes, or until the center is damp but no wet dough remain (test by cutting into the center of one). Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Raise heat back to 425 degrees and repeat process with remaining batch. If serving immediately, fill eclairs while still warm so they can take more cream; if filling at a later time, insert a skewer into one end, and move it around to expand opening for cream; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, stir pastry cream to soften. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and filling tip (Ateco No. 230) with pastry cream. Insert tip into one end of each eclair; fill. Serve, or glaze as follows.
• To make the glaze, combine 1/4 cup water, corn syrup, and s ugar in a small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil, washing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Once at a boil, remove from heat; add chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes; stir gently until smooth. Transfer glaze to a shallow bowl. Dip top of each eclair into glaze; let excess drip off before turning over. Transfer to a wire rack to allow glaze to set. Serve.

ECLAIRS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter melts completely. Reduce heat to low, and add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a stiff ball. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate completely after each addition. With a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a No. 10, or larger, tip, spoon or pipe dough onto cookie sheet in 1 1/2 x 4 inch strips.
• Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake 20 minutes more, until hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the filling, combine pudding mix and milk in medium bowl according to package directions. In a separate bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Fold whipped cream into pudding. Cut tops off of cooled pastry shells with a sharp knife. Fill shells with pudding mixture and replace tops.
• For the icing, melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and drizzle over filled eclairs. Refrigerate until serving.

MEL'S ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
• Bring 2 tablespoons of water and 1/4 cup of butter to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and add 1/2 cup of flour, stirring vigorously until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl or stand mixer and beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• Pipe the mixture onto the baking sheet using a pastry bag, a plastic zipper bag with the corner cut off, or just shaping it with a spatula. You should have six 4-inch fingers or 12 smaller eclairs. Bake the pastries in the hot oven until they are puffed and golden (30 to 50 minutes, depending on their size). Remove from the oven and allow the shells to cool.
• To make the custard, mix the 6 1/2 tablespoons of white sugar, 5 tablespoons of flour, and salt in a saucepan. Stir in the milk and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Pour the hot milk mixture in a steady stream into the beaten egg, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl to cool. Stir in the almond extract; cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to fill the eclairs.
• For the glaze, combine the chocolate, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Heat gently until the mixture has melted. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar. If the icing is too thick, add a little more water. For creamier glaze, substitute milk for 2 tablespoons of water.
• Cut the tops off of the cooled shells and fill them with the custard. Replace tops, and glaze them with the chocolate icing.

PASTRY CREAM FOR ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, egg, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Add cornstarch and flour; whisk until smooth and pale yellow. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine milk and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Stir over medium-high heat until milk begins to steam. Whisking constantly, add half the hot milk to the egg-yolk mixture. Stir until smooth; add combined mixture back to remaining hot milk in the pan. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking rapidly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl.
• Place over ice bath and let stand, stirring frequently, until cool. Remove from ice bath, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto surface until ready to use. If not using immediately, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

KING CAKE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In medium saucepan, combine 1 cup milk, butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to boil over moderate heat, stirring with wooden spoon until butter is melted. Add flour all at once and cook, beating constantly with wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and forms ball, about 15 seconds.
• Transfer dough to bowl of standing electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat in 5 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Check consistency by lifting spoonful of dough; dough should form soft peaks and fall from spoon in slow, bending hook. If dough is too stiff, beat in 6th egg.
• Spoon batter into large pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch tip. Pipe 5-inch-long, 1-inch-wide logs onto baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each log.
• In small bowl, whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon milk to make egg wash. Brush each éclair with egg wash and bake 15 minutes, switching position of sheets halfway through baking. Lower oven temperature to 325°F and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 10 more minutes.
• Remove éclairs and turn off oven. Using small, sharp knife, cut small slit in 1 long side of each éclair. Return éclairs to oven, propping door slightly open, for 5 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to rack to cool.
• Have ready large bowl half full of ice water. In medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. In heavy medium saucepan over moderate heat, bring cream to boil. In stream, pour 2 cups hot cream into egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. Whisk mixture into remaining cream in saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with wooden spoon to prevent boiling, until pastry cream thickens enough to coat back of spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set in bowl filled with ice water. Cool pastry cream, stirring occasionally, until thick and cool, about 30 minutes.
• In large mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese and cooled pastry cream. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch-tip and set aside.
• In medium bowl, combine satsuma juice and zest. Slowly whisk in confectioner's sugar until thoroughly combined.
• Pipe pastry cream into éclairs through slits in sides. Using small pastry brush, spread glaze over top of each éclair, then dust with gold sugar sprinkles, if desired, and serve.