Eclairs With Vanilla Cream Recipes

PASTRY CREAM FOR ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Set aside a rimmed baking sheet for cooling pastry cream. In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, egg, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Add cornstarch and flour; whisk until smooth and pale yellow. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine milk and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Stir over medium-high heat until milk begins to steam. Whisking constantly, add half the hot milk to the egg-yolk mixture. Stir until smooth; add combined mixture back to remaining hot milk in the pan. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking rapidly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Immediately transfer pastry cream to baking sheet, and spread into a thin layer with a large rubber spatula. Cover entire surface with plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator until chilled, about 15 minutes.

CREAM PUFFS OR ECLAIRS WITH VANILLA PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Make vanilla pastry cream:.
• In 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, flour and salt; stir in milk.
• Over medium heat, cook, stirring until mixture thickens and boils, about 10 minutes.
• Boil 1 minute.
• In a small bowl with fork, beat 6 egg yolks slightly.
• Beat small amount of heated milk mixture into yolks.
• Slowly pour egg mixture back into milk mixture, stirring.
• Cook over medium low heat, stirring till mixture thickens and coats spoon well, about 8 minutes (do not boil).
• To check thickness, lift metal spoon from mixture and hold up 15 seconds - spoon should not show through mixture.
• Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
• At this point I usually put this custard through a strainer to get out any lumpy cooked egg pieces.
• Cover surface with plastic wrap, and chill well, about 2 hours.
• When custard is cool, in a small bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat heavy/whipping cream till stiff peaks form.
• With a rubber spatula, gently fold whipped cream into custard.
• Puffs:.
• Spray 1 or 2 large cookie sheets with nonstick spray. Heat oven to 375.
• In 2 qt saucepan over medium heat, heat butter, water and salt till butter mixture boils.
• Remove from heat.
• Add flour all at once. With a wooden spoon, vigorously stir until mixture forms a ball and leaves sides of pan.
• Add eggs to the flour mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition, till smooth.
• Cool mixture slightly.
• Using a large spoon and rubber spatula, drop batter onto cookie sheets int 12 large mounds, 3 inches apart, swirling the top of each.
• (for eclairs, instead of mounds, spread the choux paste into 5" by 3/4" rectangles).
• Bake 50 minutes (this is what the original recipe says - however, I NEVER bake them that long - more like 35 minutes - go by your own oven - if they're looking puffed and browned and dry, they're probably done).
• At this point, remove from oven, cut a small slit in the side of each puff and return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Turn off oven and let dry for 5-10 minutes (I don't usually do this and it doesn't seem to matter too much).
• When puffs are cool, slice top off of each - there will probably be some webby looking soft dough inside - carefully pull this out to make it hollow.
• Fill each shell with the chilled pastry cream.
• Replace top and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
• For Eclairs:.
• Go through the same process, but top with semisweet chocolate glaze: In saucepan, melt 2 squares semisweet chocolate and 2 T butter, stirring constantly (or heat briefly in the microwave to melt) Stir in 1 cup powdered sugar and 3 T milk till smooth.

ECLAIRS I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• For icing: In small saucepan, melt chocolate and 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Remove from heat and, with electric mixer, beat in confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons hot water. Beat until smooth. Drizzle over filled eclairs.
• For shells: In medium saucepan bring 1 cup water to a boil, stir in 1/2 cup butter and salt. Stir until melted. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet.
• Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• For filling: In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup of milk, a little at a time, into softened cream cheese, until creamy. Beat in remaining 1 1/2 cups milk and pudding mix. Stir until thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Cut tops off cooled pastry shells and fill. Replace tops.

ECLAIRS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring until butter melts completely. Reduce heat to low, and add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a stiff ball. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well to incorporate completely after each addition. With a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a No. 10, or larger, tip, spoon or pipe dough onto cookie sheet in 1 1/2 x 4 inch strips.
• Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake 20 minutes more, until hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the filling, combine pudding mix and milk in medium bowl according to package directions. In a separate bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Fold whipped cream into pudding. Cut tops off of cooled pastry shells with a sharp knife. Fill shells with pudding mixture and replace tops.
• For the icing, melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and has reached desired consistency. Remove from heat, cool slightly, and drizzle over filled eclairs. Refrigerate until serving.

ECLAIRS WITH VANILLA CREAM

Steps:

• To make the pastry put the water, salt, sugar and butter in a pan and bring to simmer, until the butter is melted. Turn up to a boil, then remove from the heat and gently add the flour and beat everything together with a wooden spoon. Keep beating until the mixture turns smooth, then tip it into a bowl. Leave it to cool.
• Gently beat in the eggs one at a time with a wooden spoon. You must not add another egg if the one before has not yet been incorporated into the mixture. The mixture should be smooth and fall easily off the wooden spoon.
• Heat the oven to 200 C/fan 180 C/gas 6. Grease a large tray, aprox. 40 cm x 30 cm and cover it with baking parchment. Put a large nozzle (approx. 1,5 cm) into a piping bag and spoon in the pastry mix. Pipe out oblong shaped lines about 6 cm long. Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are crisp and hollow inside. Cool and then cut them in half horizontally.
• For the filling, mix the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla sugar in a pan, until the latter completely melts. Then add the corn starch, butter and milk and mix thoroughly. Heat the mixture in a water bath (bain-marie) until it thickens. After it has cooled down spread the mixture gently into the base halves of the eclairs.
• Whip the cream with the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar. Pipe it into the eclairs over the vanilla layer. Carefully sit the tops and sprinkle with a little powdered sugar. Leave to cool until they are stiff. Serve with coffee or tea.