Éclairs (Cheat)

Éclairs!

Éclairs are super fancy and although they’re not the “easiest” to make, they’re so worth it. To be honest, I found the process to be quite enjoyable. I love making choux pastry and pastry cream. Am I the only one? I mean, beating together a few ingredients and then watching the choux pastry cook into such a soft dough that doesn’t stick to the sides of your saucepan is almost magical. Then there’s whipping the heated cream mixture slowly into the egg yolk mixture to prevent the yolk from scrambling, before pouring the whole lot back into the saucepan and watching it thicken into a sweet, aromatic pastry cream. I sound insane. Okay, I’ll stop.

You can experiment with so many flavors when it comes to éclairs, but I decided to stick with a pretty classic pastry cream and finish it off with chocolate ganache and melted white chocolate.

…I know I said I’d stop, but don’t you love making ganache too? Letting the hot cream sit with the chocolate and letting heat energy go back and forth between the two and disrupting bonds as the chocolate melts and becomes one with the cream…ok ok, I’m done.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go make these delicious pastries for Mother’s Day!

Éclairs

Adapted from Will Cook For Smiles

Ingredients

For the pastry cream:

(This will need to be prepared a few hours ahead, or the day before you assemble the éclairs)

• 4 large egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup of whole milk
• ⅓ cup flour
• ⅔ cup of heavy whipping cream
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1 vanilla bean

For the Choux pastry:

• 1 cup of water
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup + 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs

For the ganache:

• 110g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Method

1. For the pastry cream, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until combined
2. Whisk in the flour until smooth and set aside
3. In a saucepan, gently heat the milk, heavy cream, and butter together. Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture and add in the empty vanilla bean as well
4. Heat until simmering, and then remove the vanilla bean and slowly whisk the milk mixture into the egg mixture, making sure that the egg doesn’t scramble
5. Pour all of the mixture back into the saucepan and heat while constantly stirring until thickened. This should take a few minutes
6. Pour the cream into a bowl or onto a plate and allow to cool before covering it with plastic wrap (with the plastic touching the surface of the cream) and placing it in the fridge for at least 4 hours
7. For the Choux pastry, preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit
8.  In a saucepan, heat and mix the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and water together until the mixture is lightly simmering
9. Beat in the flour using a wooden spoon until combined and the mixture doesn’t stick to the sides of the saucepan
10. Transfer the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric mixer, and beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure that each egg is fully mixed before adding the next
11. Transfer the batter into a piping bag and, on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe thick lines of pastry about 4cm (1.5 inches) in width and 8cm (3 inches) in length. They should also be about 2cm (almost 1 inch) tall
12. Bake for 25-28 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool before filling
13. For the ganache, place the chopped chocolate into a small mixing bowl.
14. In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to simmer
15. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and allow to sit for a few minutes before stirring together with a whisk until smooth
16. To assemble the éclairs, fill a piping bag with the cold pastry cream. Gently insert the tip into the cooled pastry and squeeze cream into it. Alternatively, cut the pastries lengthwise and fill the insides
17. Dip each filled pastry in the chocolate ganache and drizzle a bit of melted white chocolate over it, if desired. Keep refrigerated.

Chocolate Macarons with Silky Chocolate Ganache (Cheat)

I’ve done it.

Macarons.

The #1 thing on my Baking Bucket List, which I proudly crossed off on January 1, 2016. Yes, it takes me a long time to sort through and edit the photos for my posts, but that doesn’t really matter…right?

Point is, I was terrified by macarons – just like every other baker in this world. Then I made them, and I was like, huh. That wasn’t so bad.

All the “tips” for getting perfect macarons can be a little overwhelming. In the end, just make sure that you weigh things out and that you follow directions closely, and it’s really not difficult at all. The only struggle I went through was deciding what kind of macaron to make! If you’ve been here before (or if you know me), you should’ve been able to predict what I’d settled on: chocolate (duh).

One important thing that I learned from my first batch of macarons, is to use a silicone baking mat! I can’t say how “controlled” the two different batches are, but from what I can tell, there’s a pretty big difference. I’ll just leave these photos with you…

Yeah. I’d use a silicone baking mat.

The shells are only part you have to actually be precise with. The filling is a simple chocolate ganache, but oh my god, maybe it’s just me, but chocolate ganache is so good. I love chocolate ganache – don’t ask why, I just do.

While I was snooping around the internet for a good chocolate ganache filling for these macarons, I noticed that some of them have butter, and others don’t. So, I did some further snooping, and discovered that although the butter is optional, it does leave the ganache silkier and shinier than without, so I used a bit of butter in my ganache and I’d recommend you to do the same 🙂

Chocolate Macarons with Silky Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

Macaron shells

• 100g almond flour (almond meal)
• 170g powdered sugar (confectioner’s/icing sugar)
• 15g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 100g egg whites, room temperature*
• 35g caster or superfine sugar
• Pinch of salt

Chocolate ganache

• 120g dark chocolate (at least 60%)
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon (12g) unsalted butter

*I’ve read a lot about whether or not to “age” egg whites, and I honestly haven’t determined a personal stance on this, but if you want to age your egg whites (I’d still recommend you do so), then place them in a bowl, covered in plastic, for at least a few days, or up to three days, before using

Method

1. For the macaron shells, combine the almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder in a food processor and blend until well combined (about 30 seconds).
2. In a dry, clean, and oil-free bowl, use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to beat the egg whites until foamy. Add in the caster sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
3. Sift 1/3 of almond flour mixture into the egg whites and fold together very gently until fully combined. Repeat this process with another 1/3 of the almond flour mixture, and then with the final 1/3.
4. Prepare a baking sheet and line it with a silicone baking mat. Fit a pastry bag with a round tip (about 1 cm/0.5 inch in diameter) and fill the pastry bag with the macaron batter. Pipe circles (about 4 cm/1.5 inch in diameter) onto the silicone baking mat. Gently tap the baking sheet on the counter to break any air bubbles.
5. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius, or 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and let the macarons sit at room temperature for 45 – 60 minutes. The shells should form a slightly dry shell so that they don’t feel sticky when you lightly touch them.
6. Bake the shells (one or two sheets at a time) for 10 minutes, before rotating the pan, and baking again for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
7. For the chocolate ganache, break the chocolate into pieces and place into a bowl.
8. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and butter, and heat until just boiling. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes, before stirring until completely combined. Let the ganache sit at room temperature or in the fridge until it’s thickened enough to be piped*
9. To assemble, take a macaron shell (if any of them have cracked or are less pretty, use them as the bottom shell!) spoon or pipe chocolate ganache on top of it, before covering it with the other shell. You can serve them immediately, or leave them in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Bring them to room temperature before serving.**

*When I first started assembling the macarons, the chocolate ganache hadn’t had any time to set, so the chocolate shell on top kept sliding around! I speak from experience guys – let your ganache set!

**They actually taste better after being left (in an airtight container) in the fridge for a day or two 🙂 patience, my friends ~