Chocolate eclairs

AT YOUR PACE, STEP BY STEP

Let’s get baking

1. 01

   For the filling, heat the milk until steaming. Mix the yolks, 60 g sugar, and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the milk, return everything to the saucepan, and cook over medium heat, whisking, until gently bubbling. Maintain the bubbling for 1 minute.

2. 02

   Remove from the heat and stir in the 15 g butter and vanilla. Spread in a shallow dish, press food-safe film onto the surface, and cool for 15 minutes. Refrigerate for 105 minutes until completely cold.

3. 03

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Bring the water, 60 g butter, 5 g sugar, and salt to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes, until a ball forms and a thin film coats the pan.

4. 04

   Transfer to a bowl and stir for 3 minutes to release heat. Gradually beat in the egg; you may not need all of it. Stop when the dough is glossy and drops from the spatula in a thick V shape.

5. 05

   Using a piping bag with a 1.5 cm nozzle, pipe 10 strips about 10 cm long onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 4 cm between them. Smooth the tips with a damp finger.

6. 06

   Bake for 15 minutes at 200 °C; reduce to 180 °C without opening the door and bake for another 20 minutes. The shells should be deeply golden, firm, and hollow. Pierce each shell and leave in the switched-off oven with the door ajar for 5 minutes, then cool outside for 25 minutes.

7. 07

   Heat the cream until steaming, pour over the chocolate, and wait 2 minutes before stirring. Briefly whisk the cold pastry cream, split the eclairs along one side, and pipe in the filling.

8. 08

   Coat the tops with the slightly warm chocolate and let set. Keep filled eclairs refrigerated and eat the same day for the crispest pastry.

Times are approximate and vary with your oven. Use oven mitts and check doneness before serving.