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La Maison du Chocolat
Surely the best chocolate eclairs can be found at the Maison du Chocolat in Paris. And because Paris is one of my favorite places, I couldn’t help but taste some of the famous delights that French chocolate makers elevate to the rank of art.
I don’t think I’m exaggerating at all, if I say that the best chocolate eclairs in the world are found in Parisian chocolates. I am a friendly and enthusiastic nature when I experience the culinary delights representative of the place in each of my holidays. I always appreciate and thank those who prepare and serve these delights, which you can never forget.
I was able to find out how to prepare these wonderful chocolate eclairs and fortunately for me, the master chocolatier was so generous as to share his recipe (probably with all the secrets).
It’s a rather laborious recipe, but it’s worth a try. I don’t think you’ll find any more confectionery from us equally delicious eclere. I guarantee you!
Although there are many operations, they can be performed some time in advance. For example: choux can be prepared and frozen. It lasts very well for up to three weeks. The glaze is the same. The only one to be cooked on fire is chocolate cream. But you can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Ingredients for chocolate eclere
Choux (for 24 ecleres): 125 ml water, 125 ml milk, 115 g soft butter, 5 g sugar, 5 g salt, 140 g flour, 4 large eggs (at room temperature).
Chocolate cream: 350 ml milk, 150 ml sweet liquid cream, 4 yolks, 100 g sugar, 50 g flour, 10 g cocoa, 200 g chocolate (70% cocoa), 160 ml liquid cream.
Chocolate sauce: 60 g bitter chocolate, 100 g water, 50 g liquid sweet cream, 30 g sugar.
Glaze: 80 g sweet liquid cream, 100 g bitter chocolate (70% cocoa), 20 g butter at room temperature, 110 g chocolate sauce.
Preparation choux. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Put in a saucepan, water, milk, sugar, salt and butter and heat over low heat until all the butter melts and the liquid boils. We take the saucepan off the heat and pour all the flour at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, until smooth.
Put the saucepan back on the heat for 2-3 minutes and stir well until completely detached from the edges. We flip the composition into another dish and continue to stir for a few minutes to remove the steam. We then add one egg at a time, but only after the precedent has been incorporated. We will get a composition that is sufficiently meleable to be shaped into the shape we want. We can execute the eclairs if we have a bought or improvised cone from a bag at our fingertips. We put the choux on the tray protected with baking paper, leaving enough space between them, because they will double their dimensions in the oven.
Two trays come out of this quantity. Grease the eclairs with a little beaten egg and pass a fork over each one for uniformity. After we put them in the tray we put them in the oven. The eclairs are ready in 25-30 minutes (during which time we do not open the oven). Must be colored and hard to touch. We leave them to cool and put them in a closed dish at room temperature for a maximum of 2 days. We can still keep them in sealed bags in the freezer for a maximum of 3 weeks.
Chocolate cream preparation. Mix the yolks well with half the amount of sugar, a little milk, flour, and cocoa, all sifted. We boil the remaining milk and cream and pour little by little over the eggs. Then pour the composition back into the saucepan, put it on a low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk. We take care not to catch the walls of the vessel or to make lumps. Boil the cream for 3 minutes, until it acquires a consistency and a glossy appearance, a sign that the flour has boiled well.
Turn the cream over to another bowl and add the chocolate ganache, stirring until smooth. Let the steam come out for a few minutes, then cover the dish with plastic wrap. Put the dish immediately in the fridge, to cool the cream quickly.
Preparation of icing. Usually the glaze is made of fondant, with various additions, either cocoa, coffee or dye. Start with the chocolate sauce and put all the ingredients in a large enough saucepan. Stir well for 10 minutes over low heat until boiling. The sauce will become consistent enough to leave the trail on the wooden spoon. We’re making the chocolate ganache. Boil the cream and pour it over the chocolate cut into pieces. Let it pass 1-2 minutes, then stir gently, until the composition becomes homogeneous, then incorporate the butter into pieces. When everything has homogenized well, we pour 110 g of chocolate sauce, stirring carefully. After cooling we put the icing in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a month.
Filling the eclairs. For filling we use the cornet or a simple spoon. In the first case, we drill the choux at the base (on both ends if there are long eclairs). If you don’t have a cone handy you can cut the choux on one side with a knife. A few minutes before using the chocolate cream mix well with the whisk, to aerate.
Glaze. The glaze is heated in the microwave or in the bain-marie until it becomes more liquid, so that it can also be used for a glossy and appetizing appearance. Mix as little as possible, careful not to introduce air bubbles. We pass each eclair through the glaze, holding it to the base. If the glaze hardens, we reheat it.
It is good to always use quality ingredients!
Good appétit!
