#73 French Eclairs- Filled Chocolate Choux pastry

N was a relatively easy child to raise-the cutest petit girl with a sweet tooth to match. She was easy to please and just like all normal kids loved to eat out preferably baked goodies and chocolates. My younger girl V however, preferred homemade food for the longest time except for McDonalds kids meals that she insisted on getting just for the toys!!

N 's favorite treat was the French Eclair. I found out that getting the “pate a choux” right is the trick to making good éclairs.  The pastry bakes wonderfully flaky and you can turn them into rich, creamy and addictive little bundles of heaven. The name ”Choux” means “cabbage” in French and that describes the appearance of these small choux pastries that are round, dainty and hollow inside. The crevices ask to be filled with something soft, rapturous and gooey like ice cream or heavenly custard. Once you pop the first one in your mouth, it is so addictive that you must have another.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons prepared coffee
• Mascarpone( a small tub)
• Powdered Almonds- 1 Tblspn
• Vanilla extract- 1 tspn
• Powdered sugar- 3 Tblspns
• Lemon zest

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat the milk, butter and salt over medium heat in a small saucepan until the butter is melted. Now add all the flour at once and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a dough
3. Cook stirring constantly over low heat for about 2 minutes and the flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan and then the dough comes together. Turn off the stove.
4. Dump the hot mixture into the bowl of  a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the eggs and pulse until the eggs are incorporated into the dough and the mixture is thick and creamy.
5. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip or instead use a plastic ziplock bag and cut the tip when ready to use.
6. Pipe in mounds of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper .They should be about 1 inch wide and 1 inch high. With a wet finger lightly press down the swirl at the top of each puff.
7. Bake for about 15 mins or when the tops are light brown and puffy. Turn off the oven and allow them to sit for 10 mins until they sound hollow when tapped at the bottom. Gently create a small hole at the bottom of each one for steam to escape and set aside to cool.

1. Scoop the Mascarpone into a glass bowl and beat along with sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and powdered almonds until smooth. Spoon this into a second “ziplock” bag and cut a slightly smaller tip.Keep aside
For chocolate sauce, place the cream and chocolate chips in a bowl over simmering water and stir until the chocolate melts. Add honey and coffee and stir well, set aside.
2. For serving, take each éclair and through the hole in step#7, fill the hollow inside with the mascarpone using the bag from step #8.
3. Place the profiterole on a plate and using a kitchen brush slather the top with the chocolate sauce.

1. Enjoy the soft, gooey and flaky profiteroles!!