Chef recipe: Indulge your palate with éclair au chocolat!

Chef recipe: Indulge your palate with éclair au chocolat

Eclair au chocolat on white plate atop navy placemat. Are you feeling a little adventurous in the kitchen? Le Cordon Bleu Melbourne pâtisserie chef lecturer Antonia Abiuso reveals her éclair au chocolat recipe with a golden toffee twist.

Éclair au Chocolat Recipe

Ingredients

For the choux pastry

125ml water
60g butter, unsalted
1g salt
100g baker’s flour
150g eggs

For the chocolate glaze

250g dark chocolate
200g cream
20g liquid glucose
4g gelatine leaves, soaked in ice cold water and drained

For the Chantilly cream

200ml thickened cream
Vanilla sugar or caster sugar, to taste
1 drop vanilla extract/essence

For the caramelised hazelnuts

250g white sugar
125g water
100g liquid glucose
50g whole peeled hazelnuts
12 metal paperclips/wooden skewers

Method

For the choux pastry

Dice the butter into small pieces and place in a saucepan with the water and salt.
Bring to the boil slowly to ensure butter has melted.
Add the flour quickly all at once as soon as the water/butter boils.
Remove from the heat and beat vigorously until all the flour is incorporated. This is now called a ‘Panade’.
Sweat the Panade over a low heat, beating all the time until it is smooth, shiny and leaves the sides of the pan, approximately 2 minutes on a low heat.
Remove the Panade from the heat and cool to below 60°C.
Add the eggs slowly one at a time beating after each addition until smooth.
Test the mixture has reached dropping consistency, add more egg if necessary.
Pipe and cook as required.
Allow the pastry to rest for 1 hour before piping.

NOTE: Addition of too much egg or adding egg too quickly will cause the pastry to be unusable.

For the chocolate glaze

Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a bowl.
Bring the cream and liquid glucose to the boil in a saucepan.
Add the gelatine leaves and stir until melted.
Add the chocolate to the cream, glucose and gelatine mixture and stir gently until melted and emulsified. Use a stick blender if necessary.
Use when the glaze has reached the correct consistency.
Keep warm while applying the glaze.

For the Chantilly cream

Place the cream into a cold round bottomed bowl.
Whisk to soft peak.
Add the sugar and vanilla.
Continue whisking to the required stage.

For the caramelised hazelnuts

Prepare the hazelnuts by inserting a skewer into each or by unfolding a metal paperclip and inserting into the hazelnut. Set aside.
For the caramel, place the 250g sugar, 125ml water and 100g glucose into a copper sugar-boiler and cook to a light golden-brown caramel (165°C). Remove from the heat.
Allow the sugar to cool and thicken slightly before dipping the hazelnuts into the hot caramel slowly.
Hang the coated hazelnuts to cool.

Baking and assembly

Pipe the choux pastry into 11-12cm long finger shapes with a star nozzle (1.5cm) onto a lightly greased baking tray or a tray lined with silicone paper. Ensure each éclair is 1.5cm wide.
If possible, rest for 1 hour.
Bake at 190°C for approximately 25-35 minutes until cooked.
Once cooked and dry inside remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Make 2 small holes in the bottom of each éclair to release excess moisture and to use for filling.
Fill with crème légère as demonstrated.
Glaze with warm chocolate ganache glaze.
Pipe top with Chantilly cream, apply cocoa nibs and caramelised hazelnuts.
Serve.

Feeling inspired? Explore our pâtisserie programs at Le Cordon Bleu Melbourne