Chocolate Custard Eclairs

Oblong shaped pastry made of choux pastry dough is what we knows as eclairs, usually filled with whipped cream and dusted with confectioner's sugar. I'm making choux pastry filled with pastry cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce for a special treat. Choux pastry is a light and easy to make pastry dough. It contains simple ingredients like butter,flour,eggs,sugar and water. They are so versatile that you can even fill them with ice cream for that cool treat. Hollow and crisp pastry originated from France known as choux paste.

I love the versatility of eclairs and the easy method of preparing it. Be generous with the filling and the chocolate sauce. The creamy and not so-sweet cream pastry balance the crispy texture of the eclairs. The chocolate sauce add a great touch to the already wonderful eclairs

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 tsp granulated white sugar

For Pastry Cream

1 cup milk
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp granulated white sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp cornstarch

For Chocolate Sauce

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp butter


Methods

For Cream Puffs

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Keep aside.

In a bowl, sift flour and keep aside.

In a pan over a medium heat, boil the butter,sugar,water and salt. Once its starts to boil, remove from heat and add the sifted flour. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon.

Back to heat and cook till the dough form a ball and leave the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and let it to cool for approximately 5 minutes.

Gradually add the eggs and beat well after each addition. Beat till the batter thick and shiny.

Fill the batter into a piping bag fitted with large plain tip and pipe in the shape of oblong about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide onto the prepared baking tray. Make sure to leave atleast 2 inches interval before piping the next one. Dip fingers slightly with water and smooth the pointy parts on the top of the batter.

Bake at 200'C or 400'F for 20 minutes or till golden. Cool on wire rack.

For Pastry Cream

In a medium sauce pan over a medium flame, heat milk and vanilla extract.

In a bowl, whisk together corn starch,sugar and egg yolks.

In a separate bowl , add butter and place a strainer on top of it.

Gradually, whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the egg-milk mixture into the pot and cook for another 2 minutes with constant stirring over a medium heat.

Pour the mixture through the strainer into the bowl of butter. Whisk well.

Cover with a plastic wrap directly over the surface of the custard to avoid forming of skin, Cool to room temperature.

For Chocolate Sauce

Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl.

Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan. (Do not boil the cream). Pour the warm cream into the chocolate chips and stir till the chocolate completely melted. Add the butter and stir till the chocolate mixture shiny

Once the eclairs cooled completely, cut halves the eclairs and fill them with pastry cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce

Serve and impress your guess