French Chocolate Eclair Recipe

Step 1

Boil the vanilla bean and milk on medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. After boiling, remove instantly from heat and set aside for 15 minutes.

Step 2

Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until fluffy. Now add cornstarch and mix strongly to remove all the lumps.

Step 3

Now add ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture and mix it very well. After mixing all the ingredients, now add the remaining hot milk mixture.

Step 4

Now transfer this mixture through a strainer into the saucepan. Cook at medium to high heat. Don’t forget to mix and whisk constantly. Keep the process going until you get thick and slowly boil the mixture.

Step 5

Now remove the saucepan from the heat and stir it in the butter. After stirring, let it gently cool.

Step 6

Cover it with a plastic sheet/wrap. Press the sheet very gently to avoid the marks on the skin.

Step 7

Let it cool for 2 hours or until ready.

TIP:

Make custard 24 hours before use. Refrigerate it until 1 hour before using.

Pastry

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Step 2

Add sugar, salt, butter, and water to a large saucepan and boil it over high heat. After boiling, remove the pan from the heat.

Step 3

Now add your flour to it while stirring with a wooden spoon. Stir until the mixture mixes very well.

Step 4

Now return it to the heat and stir for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Step 5

There is a choice to use a hand mixer or to use a mixer having a paddle attached to it. We recommend a mixture, but you can use a hand mixer if you don’t have any. Now come to the point, while mixing, add 3 eggs one after one. Mix until you get the smooth dough. The dough should be a little bit thick. It should fall slowly if you lift it up from the bowl.

Important:

Use a large plain tip on a pastry bag and make fat lengths of your dough on a baking sheet. Make sure to have 2 to 3 inches of space between them. Make lengths of size and shape like a jumbo hot dog. You will have 8 to 10 equal lengths.

Egg Wash

Step 1

Whisk the water and eggs in a medium bowl.

Step 2

Now, brush your éclairs with the mixture made in the above-mentioned step.

Step 3

Bake the éclairs for 15 minutes and then decrease the heat of the oven to 375 degrees and bake until you get a light brown surface. This can take 20 to 30 minutes more. Let it cool on the baking sheet.

Step 4

Use the fingertip of your index finger and make a hole at the end of your eclairs. Now with the help of a pastry bag equipped with a medium-sized tip, fill the custard into the eclairs.

Tip:

Just fill the eclairs in. Don’t stuff them full.

Glaze

Step 1

Heat the cream on light to medium heat in a small saucepan. When it came to boiling, turn off the heat.

Step 2

Put your chocolate in a medium bowl and add hot cream. Keep whisking until smooth.

Tips:

You can make the glaze 2 days before use. Refrigerate it and when you need to use it, just rewarm it in the oven.

Step 3

Now dip the tops of your eclairs in a hot chocolate glaze. Don’t cover it and chill for a minimum of 60 minutes.
Congratulations, your French chocolate eclairs are ready to eat. Serve chilled and enjoy.

Watch the YouTube video below by Laura to have a better idea of the French eclair recipe.