Chocolate Eclairs Filled with Chocolate Pastry Cream

What you need

• 120 ml (1/2 cup) water, for the choux
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk, for the choux
• 115 g (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed, for the choux
• 1 tsp granulated sugar, for the choux
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 125 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk, for the cream
• 4 large egg yolks
• 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar, for the cream
• 30 g (1/4 cup) cornstarch
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) dark chocolate, 60-70% cocoa, finely chopped, for the cream
• 25 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, soft, for the cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped, for the glaze
• 100 ml (7 tbsp) heavy cream, for the glaze

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F) and line two baking sheets with parchment.

2. 2

   Put the water, the 120 ml of milk, the cubed butter, the teaspoon of sugar and the salt in a medium saucepan. Heat until the butter has melted and the liquid comes to a rolling boil.

3. 3

   Take the pan off the heat, add all the flour in one go and beat hard with a wooden spoon into a smooth paste.

4. 4

   Set the pan back over medium heat and keep stirring for 1-2 min. The dough is ready when it pulls into one ball and leaves a thin film on the base of the pan.

5. 5

   Scrape the dough into a bowl and beat it for about 1 min to release some steam.

6. 6

   Beat in the eggs one at a time, letting each disappear before adding the next. Stop when the dough is glossy and drops off the spoon in a thick V-shaped flap.

7. 7

   Spoon the choux into a piping bag with a 1.5 cm round tip. Pipe 12 fingers about 12 cm long onto the sheets, leaving 4 cm between them.

8. 8

   Bake for 10 min, then lower the heat to 160 °C (325 °F) without opening the door. Bake 25-30 min more, until deep golden and light, with a hollow sound when tapped underneath. Cool on a rack.

9. 9

   For the cream, heat the 500 ml of milk in a saucepan until it steams and small bubbles form at the edge.

10. 10

    In a bowl, whisk the yolks, the 100 g of sugar and the cornstarch until pale and smooth, about 2 min.

11. 11

    Whisking all the time, pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a thin stream.

12. 12

    Return everything to the saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it boils and turns thick, then whisk for 1 min more.

13. 13

    Off the heat, add the chopped chocolate for the cream, the soft butter and the vanilla extract. Whisk until no streaks remain. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and chill until cold, about 1 hour.

14. 14

    Make 2-3 small holes in the base of each shell with a thin piping tip. Pipe the cold chocolate cream in until each eclair feels heavy.

15. 15

    For the glaze, bring the heavy cream to a simmer and pour it over the remaining chocolate. Leave for 2 min, then stir from the centre out until glossy.

16. 16

    Dip the top of each eclair in the glaze, let the excess drip back and set them on a tray. Chill for 20 min so the glaze firms before serving.

Imported from natashaskitchen.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.