On Apr 1, 8:14 pm, Terry Pulliam Burd >
wrote:
> I've always been a fair cook, but a less than stellar baker. My pies
> always taste great, but often look as if they'd been assembled by a
> three year old. The DH had asked for a certain menu for his birthday
> dinner today, but kept changing the requested dessert. He finally
> settled on...chocolate eclairs. Now who, I ask you, actually makes
> these things? You go to the bakery and point at the sinful beggars and
> haul 'em home, right? Well, in a demented moment (I think a few
> glasses of chardonnay was involved), I boasted that I could make 'em.
> And make 'em, I did. And what astonished me was: they turned out
> *great*! Mind you, like my pies, their appearance was a bit addled (I
> didn't have the proper tip for the pastry bag, for a start), but
> everyone raved about them:
>
> @@@@@ Now You're Cooking! Export Format
>
> Chocolate Eclairs
>
> desserts
>
> filling:
> 2 cups whole, 2 percent fat, or 1 percent; fat milk
> 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
> 6 egg yolks
> 2/3 cup sugar
> 1/4 cup cornstarch
> 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
>
> pastry:
>
> 1 cup water
> 8 tablespoons (1 sti unsalted butter
> 1/2 teaspoon salt
> 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
> 1 cup all-purpose flour
> 3 eggs, plus 1 extra, if needed
>
> egg wash:
> 1 egg
> 1 1/2 teaspoons water
>
> chocolate glaze:
>
> 1/2 cup heavy cream
> 4 ounces semisweet chocolate; coarsly chopped
>
> Filling: In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a
> boilover medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to
> infuse for 15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until
> light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no
> lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until
> incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the
> saucepan. Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan.
> Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and
> slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool
> slightly. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic
> against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 2
> hours or until ready to serve. The custard can be made up to 24 hours
> in advance. Refrigerate until 1 hour before using.
>
> Pastry: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with
> parchment paper. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt
> and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils,
> immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon,
> add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is
> incorporated, 30 to 60 seconds. Return to the heat and cook, stirring,
> 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle
> attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed.
> With the mixer running, add 3 eggs, 1 egg at a time. Stop mixing after
> each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the
> dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated.
> The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from
> the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl. If the dough is still
> clinging to the beaters, add the remaining 1 egg and mix until
> incorporated.
>
> Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe fat lengths of
> dough (about the size and shape of a jumbo hot dog) onto the lined
> baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between them. You should have
> 8 to 10 lengths.
>
> Egg Wash: In a bowl, whisk the egg and water together. Brush the
> surface of each eclair with the egg wash. Use your fingers to smooth
> out any bumps of points of dough that remain on the surface. Bake 15
> minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake until puffed up
> and light golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Try not to open the
> oven door too often during the baking. Let cool on the baking sheet.
> Fit a medium-size plain pastry tip over your index finger and use it
> to make a hole in the end of each eclair (or just use your fingertip).
> Using a pastry bag fitted with a medium-size plain tip, gently pipe
> the custard into the eclairs, using only just enough to fill the
> inside (don't stuff them full).
>
> Glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat just until
> it boils. Immediately turn off the heat. Put the chocolate in a medium
> bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and
> smooth. Set aside and keep warm. The glaze can be made up to 48 hours
> in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, and rewarm in a
> microwave or over hot water when ready to use.
> Dip the tops of the eclairs in the warm chocolate glaze and set on a
> sheet pan. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour to set the glaze. Serve
> chilled.
>
> Contributor: Gale Gand
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
>
> --
> "If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
> old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
> waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."
>
> -- Duncan Hines
>
> To reply, replace "spaminator" with "cox"

Told you it was easy! Cream puffs are even easier- just dust with
powdered sugar- don't even mess with the egg wash. If you leave the
sugar out of the pate a choux dough, they are very nice made smaller &
filled with a savory filling like chicken or lobster salad.