The French are no strangers to surprising us with exquisite desserts – meringue, blamange, mousse, roasted nuts, cannelet, clafouti, crème brulee, crockenbush, macaroon, parfait, petit four, syfle, tart taten. All this is incredibly tender, tasty and looks like a real work of art! Among this dessert variety, eclairs stand out favorably, which can be prepared in your own kitchen.
Translated from French, eclair means lightning, flash. It is believed that this name justifies the simplicity and speed of its preparation. Eclairs are small in size, the filling is traditionally custard, but there may be variations. Top cakes are covered with chocolate icing.
A similar recipe is used to prepare shu cakes and profiteroles. In shu, the top is cut off and placed on top of a copious layer of cream filling.
The author of delicate pastries is the French chef Marie-Antoine Karem, who lives in the 18th century. He gained fame as “the chef of kings and the king of chefs”, so deliciously cooked Karem.
Before the emergence of eclairs, the famous Duchess cake existed. Marie-Antoine processed it into finger-shaped cakes, removed almonds and apricot jam from the composition, and filled with vanilla, chocolate cream.
In the 19th century, this pastry became very popular, and its recipes began to appear in cookbooks, and high-end shops and eateries were honored to cook and put them on the shelves. Until the middle of the 19th century, this cake was called “duchess” – petite duchesse, or “bread for the duchess”.
According to the second version, eclairs came to France in the 16th century with Catherine de Medici – her chef Panterelli discovered a new type of dough, from which he made small custard buns.
11 interesting facts about eclairs
1. In the United States, eclairs are called “long john” – oblong donuts.
2. In Germany, eclairs are called outdated German words “love bone”, “hare paw” or “coffee bar”.
3. Confectioners joke that if you learn how to cook real airy eclairs the first time, you have passed the first academic stage in cooking.
4. The word “eclair” has another meaning – this is the name for a special method of shooting animated films, cartoons, when a film is created by drawing frame by frame of a real film with actors and scenery.
5. June 22 is the day of the chocolate eclair.
6. The French believe that the ideal eclairs should be 14 centimeters long, even in shape.
7. The French store Fauchon is famous for its eclairs. Previously, only men entered the cafe, and a tea parlor with cakes opened especially for the female audience. Eclair could be tasted there.
8. In Casablanca, eclairs with orange blossom scent are sold, in Kuwait – with figs.
9. Eclairs are gradually replacing the classics of French dessert cooking. For example, there are eclairs Saint-Honoré, Paris-Brest, La Gioconda.
10. In October, an eclair was released with a portrait of John F. Kennedy in the shape of the letter K, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of the American president.
11. Some of the best eclairs in Paris – at Philippe Conticini, where the eclair performs accompanied by crumble and in a chocolate crust.
French eclair recipe
You will need: 125 ml of water, 125 ml of milk, 80 grams of butter, 150 grams of sifted flour, 3 eggs. For the Patisier custard, 375 ml of milk, a packet of vanilla sugar, 3 yolks, 70 grams of powdered sugar, 50 grams of flour. For the icing, use 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons of water, and the icing powder.
Preparation:
1. For the cream – in a saucepan over low heat, heat the milk, add vanilla sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and powdered sugar until thick. Add flour to the egg mass and, while whisking, pour in the warmed milk. Return back to the saucepan. Continue cooking, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes over low heat, or until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Cover the surface with cling film.
2. To prepare the dough – In another saucepan, bring water, milk and butter to a boil. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour vigorously until it combines well with the liquid. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, until the dough begins to loosen up or forms into a ball. Remove the saucepan from heat. Let the mixture cool.
Use a mixer to beat the eggs into the dough. Heat the oven to 160-180 degrees. Turn on convection mode. Line two baking trays with parchment. Transfer the dough to a piping bag with a circular nozzle and deposit 18 sticks, 11 cm long. Sprinkle with water to create steam. Bake for 25 minutes. Flip the eclairs. Make a small cut at the base. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
3. Transfer the cream to a piping bag with a nozzle. Insert the attachment into the eclair and fill it with cream. Prepare the frosting according to the instructions on the bag. Place a quarter cup of the prepared frosting in a piping bag with a circular nozzle. In a bowl, combine the cocoa powder with water. Add cocoa to the remaining cooked frosting and mix thoroughly.
Cover the eclair with the resulting chocolate icing. Use a piping bag to extrude the zigzag pattern from the top. Let the frosting cool and serve.