June 22 is National Chocolate Eclair Day #NationalChocolateEclairDay and being a form of Donuts this would be a fun way to celebrate Sunday. Although I would prefer to have a Glazed Donut instead of a Chocolate Eclair and Charlie would like Pigs N A Blanket or a Old-Fashioned Chocolate Donut but I bet your bottom dollar David would eat a Chocolate Eclair. How about you?
National Chocolate Eclair Day is celebrated on June 22d and it’s a holiday for all of us who have a sweet tooth. There is hardly anyone who doesn’t like the delicious combination of Pastry, Cream Filling, and Chocolate. Charlie and I are one of the few who doesn’t care for Chocolate Eclairs. How about you. Would you want a Chocolate Eclair;
Eclairs are some of the best-loved sweet treats. and apart from Chocolate, Eclairs are also made with Fruit and Floral flavors. Chocolate Eclairs are very delicious on their own, some prefer pairing Chocolate Eclairs with a hot cup of Coffee or lightly brewed Tea. There’s no way of going wrong with an Eclair!
The French are famous for making delicacies out of the humble Dough and Eclairs are made from a special kind of Dough called ‘pâte à choux.’ The Pastry of an Eclair is in an oblong shape that, once baked, becomes light and crispy on the outside and hollow on the inside. In the next step, the Pastry is filled up with Vanilla or Chocolate Cream. The word ‘Eclair’ also originated in France and it means ‘flash of lightning’ some believe that the treats have been named so because they would fly off the shelves at the Confectioners!
Chocolate Eclairs were invented by French Chef Antonin Carême in the 19th Century. The story of the creation of this delicious treat is actually quite tragic. Carême was abandoned by his parents during the French Revolution and he had to find work as a kitchen boy to earn his livelihood. Sometime later, he started working as an apprentice to a famous Pâtissier named Jean Sylvain Bailly.
The young boy blossomed into a talented chef and decided to start making his own creations, one of which was the Eclair. Since then, Eclairs have become a regular feature of French cuisine and the recipe has been adopted by other Countries, too. However, in Countries like the United States, Long Johns are sold as Eclairs, and they are very different from the original ones. Long Johns are made with Donut Pastry and are typically filled with Vanilla Pudding or Custard. The French Eclair, on the other hand, requires far more effort, expertise, and expense to make.
NATIONAL CHOCOLATE ECLAIR DAY ACTIVITIES
- Vanilla and Chocolate Eclairs might be familiar to you, so why not take National Chocolate Eclair Day as an opportunity to try out other interesting flavors including Raspberry, Pistachio, and Lemon Eclairs are some of the other fabulous flavors that Eclairs are available in.
- The best way to celebrate National Chocolate Eclair Day is by treating yourself to one (or more) Chocolate Eclairs with a cup of your favorite beverage! Mine would be Chocolate Milk. What about you?
FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE
- White Chocolate contains Cocoa Butter but is not made of Cocoa solids or Chocolate Liquor.
- The hot Chocolate consumed by the Aztecs was a bitter concoction that was served at weddings and other ceremonies.
- The Aztecs also used Cocoa Beans as a currency during the height of their civilization.
- On average, a Cocoa Tree can live up to 200 years.
- Theobromine in Chocolate cannot be metabolized by pets and it can prove fatal to our Dogs.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE ECLAIR DAY
- The reason why Chocolate Eclairs are famous is that they are so delicious. National Chocolate Eclair Day celebrates a sweet treat that is much loved by so many of us.
- The invention of Eclairs is also a story of Carême’s hard work and passion and this is a good day to realize that we can achieve our dreams if we persevere through the hard times.
- National Chocolate Eclair Day is the day to gorge on Eclairs.
Ingredients:
Choux Pastry for the Eclairs
- 240 mL water 1 cup
- 115 g unsalted butter 1 stick / ½ cup
- ½ tsp kosher salt use less, if you’re using fine salt or table salt
- 1 tbsp granulated white sugar
- 145 g bread flour 1 ⅛, spoon and leveled. Sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
- 226 g large eggs (measured with the shell on) about 4 large eggs
Filling for the Eclairs
- batches of Vanilla Pastry Cream
- batches of Chocolate Pastry Cream
Chocolate Glaze
- 340 g semisweet chocolate
- 180 mL whipping cream / heavy cream ¾ cup
- A generous pinch of kosher salt
- 28 g unsalted butter 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp corn syrup optional
Instructions:
Choux Pastry
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place the water, butter, salt and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium heat while stirring occasionally. Add vanilla if you like as well. (Make sure the salt and sugar dissolve completely in the warm water, and the butter melts BEFORE the water comes to a boil).240 mL water,115 g unsalted butter,½ tsp kosher salt,1 tbsp granulated white sugar,1 tsp vanilla extract
- As soon as the water comes to a boil (with a few bubbles breaking through the surface), move the pot away from the stove and add all of the sifted flour into the boiling liquid. Using a wooden spoon or a heat-proof silicone spatula, stir the mixture vigorously to allow the flour to absorb all the water and form a ball of dough, and remove any flour clumps in the dough.145 g bread flour
- After about 45 – 60 seconds of mixing, return the saucepan to the stove (with medium heat), and let the dough cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes while stirring and mixing. Do this until you see a film of dough forming on the bottom of your saucepan (please note that this only occurs with stainless steel saucepans, not in non-stick saucepans).
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the dough into a large mixing bowl. Mix the dough gently, for about 2 – 3 minutes, to release the steam and to let it cool down (lower than 160°F). Alternatively, you can flatten the dough along the wall of the mixing bowl and let it cool down for a few minutes.
- Crack all the eggs into a jug and whisk well to combine.226 g large eggs (measured with the shell on)
- When the dough has cooled down, mix in the vanilla (I don’t use vanilla, but you can if you like). Next add the eggs in 5 – 6 additions, mixing each addition well into the dough before adding more. You can use a stand mixer or a spatula to mix in the eggs. Stop adding eggs when the dough starts to get a sheen, and looks glossy. Please read the post for more details. Then check for the right dough consistency with the choux pastry test (detailed in the post).
- Place the dough in a 16 inch pastry bag and secure the bag opening, and set it aside until you get the baking trays ready. Line a baking tray with a silpat mat. Also have a bowl of water and a bowl of confectioner’s sugar with a small mesh strainer ready as well.
- Fit a different pastry bag with a ½ inch French star tip. Then snip the end off of the choux pastry bag from the previous step, and place that in the bag with the French star tip.
- Hold the pastry bag at a 45° angle, with the French star tip touching the silpat. Pipe 8 – 10 eclairs (4 – 5 inches in length) on the silpat lined baking tray. When piping, make sure the ends are a little larger than the middle portion of the eclairs. Twist the piping tip at the end so that you end with a slightly pointed/jagged end.
- Dip your finger in water and pat the ends of the eclairs to flatten the pointed ends. Sift some confectioner’s sugar over the eclairs.
- Place the baking tray in the middle rack of your oven, and set the timer to 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, check if the eclairs have turned golden brown. If they have, then open the oven door and quickly prick each of the eclairs with a sharp toothpick or skewer on one end.
- Close the oven door and let the eclairs bake for a further 5 – 10 minutes until they turn a darker golden color. You want the eclairs to be baked a little longer so that they hold their shape better.
- Remove them from the oven, and immediately prick the eclair cases on the other end. Let them cool down for about 10 minutes on the baking tray and then transfer them onto a wire rack.
- Pipe more eclairs on the second silpat lined baking tray and bake. Repeat until you have used up all of your choux pastry.
- Once the eclairs have cooled down, they are ready to be filled. If you’re filling them later, place the unfilled shells in an air-tight container and freeze for later.
- Filling
- Make vanilla pastry cream or chocolate pastry cream according to the linked recipes, the day before, and let it chill in the fridge overnight.1 ½ batches of Vanilla Pastry Cream,1 ½ batches of Chocolate Pastry Cream,OR
- Place the filling of your choice in a 16 inch pastry bag, with a small round tip (5 – 10mm in diameter).
- Use a French star tip or the round tip to carefully make 3 holes on the bottom of your eclair shells. Fill the eclair shells with with pastry cream through these holes.
- Wipe off any excess pastry cream. Repeat with all the eclair shells.
- Chocolate Glaze
- Place the chocolate chips in a large, microwave-safe bowl.340 g semisweet chocolate
- Heat the cream and salt in a separate bowl in the microwave or a saucepan. When the cream starts to simmer, immediately pour it over the chocolate chips. Add the corn syrup and butter. Stir the chocolate chips until they have completely melted and you have a glossy chocolate glaze. If the chocolate isn’t completely melted after stirring, microwave for 10 – 20 second bursts to melt the chocolate completely.180 mL whipping cream / heavy cream,A generous pinch of kosher salt,28 g unsalted butter,2 tbsp corn syrup
- Dip each filled eclair in the chocolate glaze (read the post for more details on how to cleanly glaze your chocolate eclairs).
- Place the glazed eclairs on a wire rack and allow the chocolate glaze to set.
- Serve at room temperature, or chilled.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
