Espresso Eclairs

January 20, 2021

Eclairs are connected to some wonderful childhood memories for me. My father has had Monday night council meetings for as long as I can remember. On his way home, he would stop at Don’s Pomeroy House in Strongsville, Ohio and pick up an order of eclairs to bring back home for my mom. We were usually asleep by the time he got home, but occasionally there would be a few left over the next morning. Not only does the look and taste of an eclair bring back those fun memories, but the thought of my dad stopping after a long day at work to bring my mom back these little treats make me smile. I have similar memories involving apple fritters, but that is for another day. I am starting to realize that my father had a lot to do with my dessert obsession…

I like to start by making the pastry cream, because it needs to fully chill before it is ready to use. Pastry cream is just wonderful. I love doughnuts filled with it, but I always thought that it would be too complicated to make myself. It is not! It is quite easy actually, but don’t tell anyone you serve it to. Just let them believe that you are a magician in the kitchen. Your secret is safe with me…

First, grab your favorite saucepan and bring 2 cups of whole milk to a boil over medium high heat. As soon as you see it begin to boil, remove it from the heat and set it aside. In a large glass bowl, whisk your sugar, cornstarch and salt together. Then add the egg yolks and whisk until it feels smooth and begins to lighten up to a pale yellow. Start pouring the hot milk into your egg yolk mixture very slowly, whisking constantly. Go slow, so you don’t add too much heat all at once. Once you have about half of the hot milk poured in, pour everything from the glass bowl back into the saucepan and return it to the stovetop over medium high heat. Babysit this saucepan!! Don’t let it sit on the heat unless you are there whisking it. Whisking prevents burning, prevents a film from forming on the top and prevents lumps from forming. Whisk until it begins to thicken to a pudding like consistency and then remove from the heat and transfer into a large glass bowl.

Whisk in the vanilla extract and four tablespoons of butter at room temperature. Once the pastry cream is smooth and the butter is completely incorporated, place a sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl and press it down on to the top of the pastry cream. This will prevent a thick layer from forming on top of the pastry cream as it chills. Place it in the refrigerator until it is fully chilled.

Next up will be the pastry. This is a choux pastry and it can be used to make a variety of delicious desserts. It is simple and light and can be made in just a few minutes. Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. In your favorite saucepan, bring water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a boil over medium high heat. As soon as it begins boiling, pick the saucepan up off the heat, pour one cup of flour directly into the hot liquid and stir with a wooden spoon until it is incorporated and then set it back onto the heat and stir.

Continue moving the dough around the saucepan, flipping it back onto itself until it begins to pull away from the sides of the saucepan and a thin film begins to form on the bottom of the pan. At this point, remove from the heat and transfer it into a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the dough for a minute or so to begin cooling it down. Next add four large eggs, one at a time, until they are all fully incorporated and the dough looks smooth and pale.

In order to shape your eclairs, you will need to transfer the dough into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch rounded tip. If you aren’t used to working with pastry bags, this is a very easy way to fill them (photo left). First, cut the tip off of your bag and insert a 1/2 inch rounded tip. Then set the bag into a tall, heavy bottom water glass and fold the top over the rim. This will allow you to pour or scoop dough, filling, whipped cream, frosting… whatever you need, into the pastry bag easily!

These little guys will puff up quite a bit, so be sure to give them room. Once you have them piped onto your baking sheets, place them into the oven and bake for ten minutes at 425 degrees. Be sure that your oven is preheated and be quick when you place them inside so you don’t allow too much heat to escape. After the initial ten minutes, drop your oven temperature to 325 degrees without opening the oven…

… and bake for another twenty minutes or until they are all puffed and golden brown. Remove them from the oven and transfer them onto a cooling rack while we make our chocolate ganache…

This is one of my favorite chocolate ganache recipes. It is really easy and if you measure everything out right, it is a beautiful consistency that is just perfect for glazing these eclairs, frosting a cake, decorating cookies, eating with a spoon… whatever you need it for, it is perfect. Heat 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream to a simmer and then pour it over 4oz (2/3 cup) of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Leave it alone for two full minutes then add one tablespoon of a good quality espresso powder and whisk it until it is smooth and glossy. Look how shiny it is!!

We are now ready to assemble our eclairs! First, transfer the chilled pastry cream into a piping bag with a medium star tip. Take a sharp knife and poke two or three small holes on the underside of each pastry shell then fill the shells with your pastry cream by inserting the piping bag into each hole and squeezing gently until you feel resistance. Clean any excess cream off of the outside of the shells and then dip the tops into the chocolate ganache. Eclairs taste best when chilled, so after you test one (or three) …

… place the rest into the refrigerator in an air tight container. There is just something about the cool pastry cream and silky chocolate ganache that is simply perfect together…. especially with a big cup of coffee. Enjoy!

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