Pumpkin Spice Eclairs With Chocolate Beer Pastry Cream And Ganache Recipes

SMALL-BATCH MINI PUMPKIN ECLAIRS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat milk until milk begins to steam but is not boiling. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, pumpkin puree, sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. SLOWLY drizzle in hot milk, whisking constantly so you don't scramble your eggs.
• Continue whisking and pouring until all of the liquid is incorporated. You can speed up the pouring as you go and the temperature of your eggs is brought up.
• Transfer mixture back to your saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue to cook until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 3 to 6 minutes. It's ready when it is the consistency of a thick pudding. Whisk vigorously until smooth, remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
• Place your strainer over a medium bowl and strain pastry cream, using your whisk to push the mixture through.
• Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming and place in the refrigerator to chill completely, at least an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Have your flour measured out and ready to go. In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the butter is melted and the mixture reaches a boil, stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Stir until flour is incorporated and the mixture pulls away from the sides and forms a thin film over the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer dough to a large bowl and allow to cool for about 4 minutes, until no longer hot to the touch. Add one egg and use your wooden spoon to work the egg into the dough until completely mixed. It will seem slow going at first, but it will come together. Repeat with the second egg.
• Transfer mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch tip. Pipe 10 to 11 3-inch lines, at least 2 inches apart. Once finished, use a little water on your fingertip to pat down any tips that are sticking up from piping so you have smooth tops (otherwise the tips sticking up will burn).
• In a small bowl whisk together egg and water and brush gently over the pate a choux.
• Bake for 28 minutes. Do not open the oven. At 28 minutes, check the eclairs. They should be lightly browned. If not, cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before filling.
• Use a chop stick or small, sharp knife to poke 2 small holes in the bottom of each eclair. Transfer your cooled pastry cream to a piping bag fitted with a 1/8-inch round tip (if the cream has firmed up too much in the fridge, you can whisk it for about 30 seconds until it is smooth and the right consistency for piping.
• Fill each of the eclairs with a generous amount of pastry cream.
• In a small saucepan, combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla. Whisk over medium heat until butter is melted. Add chocolate and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add the sifted powdered sugar. Whisk until smooth.
• Transfer glaze to a small bowl wide enough for dipping and immediately dip filled eclairs. Allow glaze to set for 5 minutes before eating.

PUMPKIN PIE ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan bring the water, butter, salt, sugar and pumpkin pie spice to a rapid simmer. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring rapidly until the mixture comes together for about 30 to 60 seconds. Return to the heat and cook, constantly stirring rapidly, for about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and stir on medium. Slowly add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix once more. The batter should be thick, but fall slowly away from the paddle. Transfer to a large pastry bag fitted with a plain circle tip.
• Pipe out the éclairs onto the prepared baking pans, to about 2-inch thick logs. Make sure to leave about 2 inches of space apart. Brush the surface of each éclair with the egg wash and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue to bake until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes more. Let the éclairs cool completely on the baking sheets before filling.
• To make the filling, beat together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth and well blended. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
• Cut each cooled éclair in half, lengthwise, and fill with the pumpkin mixture; placing about 2 tablespoons of filling into each. Sandwich together and place on a baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, salt and enough milk as needed to create a smooth glaze. Tint the glaze any color you'd like with a few drops of food coloring, if desired. Carefully dip the top of each éclair into the glaze, return to the baking sheet, and top with the crushed up pie crust pieces. Allow the glaze to set before serving.