There seem to be some dishes we were never meant to attempt without culinary classes or a seasoned chef standing by. They appear mysterious, foreign, with their stars of difficulty. Categories of artisan breads and springy souffles sneer up at us from glossy cookbook pages. Some of these dishes can be tricky, yes, but others are as easy as baking a cake. Pastries are a great example. Why they were ever thrown into such a complicated light, I'll never know. Eclairs, with their delectable egg filling and sweet chocolate glaze are one of my favorites, and yes, they are fattening. I came up with this recipe years ago when I was faced with many chickens and too many eggs. I've broken it down into three easy steps. This is what you will need on hand to make eight medium eclairs with a chocolate glaze.
PASTRY:
1 Stick of Butter
1 C. Flour
1 C. Water
4 Med. Eggs
FILLING:
1/2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Flour
1 1/2 C. Milk
6 Lrg. Egg Yolks
2 Tsp. Vanilla
GLAZE:
1/2 C. Sugar
3 Tb. Corn Syrup
2 Tb. Water
4 oz. or 4 Squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chopped
Preheat oven to 400 and melt butter with 1 cup of water in a medium saucepan, being careful not to burn it. Reduce heat and vigorously stir in 1 cup of flour to form a ball with the mixture. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for five minutes. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Drop dough into 8 oblong mounds on greased baking sheet, piling the dough high and rounding the sides. Bake at 400 for 35 minutes until golden. Remove and make a 1 inch slit on side of pastries. Reduce temperature to 375 and bake another 10 minutes being careful not to burn the bottoms. Remove to wire rack.
Next, in saucepan, add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups of milk, 2 tsp. vanilla, then 6 egg yolks, one at a time. Bring to a boil over medium heat about 1 minute. Whisk constantly and it will thicken like pudding. Transfer to a bowl and chill 30 minutes.
Lastly, to prepare the glaze bring 1/2 cup sugar, 3 Tb. corn syrup and 2 Tb. water to a boil over low heat in a saucepan. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Stir to melt.Cut pastries in half, spoon in filling. Replace tops and drizzle with chocolate. Keep refrigerated.
Source: www.isnare.com
