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100 ml milk
100 ml water
100g butter
100g plain flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 free-range eggs
300 ml double cream
3 tablespoons caster sugar
85 ml double cream
80g dark chocolate, finely chopped
20g butter
With the wonderful cookbook De Banketbakker (only in Dutch), by Cees Holtkamp in hand, we are making chocolate eclairs today. Well filled with whipped cream and a dark chocolate ganache on top, they aredelicious!
How to make Chocolate éclairs
Bring the milk and water to a boil and melt the butter in it.
Remove from the fire and add all the flour, stir until smooth.
Add the vanilla too and stir it firmly in.
Put the pan back on the heat and keep stirring continuously.
When the dough comes away from the pan it is ready, remove it from the heat and allow the dough to cool for 10 minutes
Preheat the oven to 200°C and place a sheet of waxed paper on the baking tray
*Beat the eggs into the dough, one by one.
Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a round tip.
Pipe long stripes of dough on the baking tray.
*Now the dough look smooth and shiny and if you stir it and hold the spoon up the dough falls like a long ribbon from the spoon
Slide the baking tray in the middle of the oven
Bake the eclairs in +/- 20 minutes golden.
Allow the pastry to cool on the baking tray.
Meanwhile beat the cream until stiff.
Cut a small hole in the eclairs and fill them.
How to make a chocolate ganache
Bring the cream to the boil, but do not let it actually boil!
Remove from the fire and melt the chocolate in it.
Stir the ganache nicly smooth, the chocolate fully incorporated.
Melt the butter in it and stir it into the ganache as well.
Dip the eclairs in the chocolate ganache and let it dry.
Happy Holidays to all!