The bench-standard chocolate éclair: piped choux shells, chocolate crème pâtissière, warm fondant glaçage. Components hold separately — shells frozen 1 month, cream 3 days at 2-4°C — and assembled éclairs sell same-day. Yield: 24 éclairs at 13 cm.
Yield: 24 portions · Prep 90 min · Bake 40 min
Ingredients
250 ml water (choux)
250 ml full cream milk (choux)
225 g unsalted butter (choux)
10 g caster sugar (choux)
8 g fine sea salt
275 g plain flour (choux)
450 g whole egg (choux)
1000 ml full cream milk (crème pâtissière)
160 g egg yolk (crème pâtissière)
200 g caster sugar (crème pâtissière)
90 g cornflour
200 g dark chocolate 64%
50 g unsalted butter (crème pâtissière)
400 g pastry fondant (glaçage)
80 g dark chocolate 55% (glaçage)
40 g glucose syrup (glaçage)
Method
Choux paste Make choux per the Choux Pastry foundation: boil water, milk, butter, sugar, salt; add flour off heat and dry the panade 2-3 minutes to a clean film on the pan; cool to 60°C in the mixer, then add eggs gradually to a glossy V-ribbon consistency.
Pipe and bake Pipe 13 cm lengths with a 14 mm French star tip at 45°, even pressure, onto perforated mats. Bake at 165-170°C fan, no steam vented for the first 25 minutes, 35-40 minutes total until deep gold and rigid. Under-baked shells collapse as they cool.
Chocolate crème pâtissière Make crème pâtissière per the foundation method (temper yolks/sugar/cornflour into boiling milk, full 90-second boil), then whisk the hot cream onto the chopped 64% chocolate and finish with butter. Press film to the surface and blast-chill.
Fill Whisk the chilled cream smooth. Pierce three holes in the base of each shell and fill ~55g per éclair — the shell should feel heavy and the last hole should push back slightly.
Glaçage Warm fondant with the chocolate and glucose to 37°C maximum — hotter and it loses its gloss and cracks. Adjust with a few drops of water to a slow-falling ribbon. Dip each éclair top with a clean wrist-turn and wipe the edge with a finger.
Hold and service Refrigerate at 2-4°C and sell within the day; the shell softens progressively once filled. Display out of direct airflow so the fondant does not dull.