Mini éclairs with vanilla cream

Name: Mini éclairs with vanilla cream
Ingredients: 4 eggs; 125 g flour; 250 ml water; 100 ml oil; 3 eggs; 130 g sugar; 70 g flour; 500 ml milk; 1 vial vanilla extract; 100 ml whipping cream; 150 g baking chocolate; 1 tablespoon oil

Dessert - Mini éclairs with vanilla cream by Valeria I. - Recipia

Mini éclairs with vanilla cream have golden shells and a cold, airy filling with whipped cream. The cooked custard is cooled and mixed with whipped cream, while the chocolate glaze sets into a thin layer, leaving the soft filling inside each little éclair. I serve them cold, with coffee. Preparation: 25 minutes. Cooking: 75 minutes. Resting: 68 minutes. Total time: 168 minutes. Servings: 8. Approximately 487 kcal and 11 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the shells

4 eggs
125 g flour
250 ml water
100 ml oil

For the custard

3 eggs
130 g sugar
70 g flour
500 ml milk
1 vial vanilla extract
100 ml whipping cream

For the glaze

150 g baking chocolate
1 tablespoon oil

Preparation

1. Put the water and oil for the shells in a saucepan and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. 2. Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously over the heat for another 2 minutes, until the dough comes together into a ball. Take the saucepan off the heat. 3. Add the eggs for the shells, one at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon after each addition. 4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pipe out small, elongated éclairs. I used a piping syringe to place them on the tray. Bake at 200°C for 35 minutes, until golden; do not open the oven door during the first 15 minutes. 5. Put the eggs for the custard and the sugar in a small saucepan and beat them with a whisk. Gradually stir in the flour, then pour in the milk in a thin stream and add the vanilla extract. 6. Cook the custard in a bain-marie or in a double-bottomed saucepan for 28 minutes, stirring continuously, until it has the consistency of pudding. Take it off the heat, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it to cool completely, about 60 minutes. 7. Whip the cream, then add it to the cooled custard and beat for 2-3 minutes, just until combined. 8. Fill the shells with the custard and set them aside while you prepare the glaze. 9. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie for about 5 minutes. When it starts to melt, add the oil and stir until smooth. 10. Spoon glaze over the éclairs and chill them for 8 minutes, until it sets a little. 11. Put a spoonful of glaze in a bag or piping bag and pipe thin lines over the éclairs.

Notes

Keep the éclairs in the fridge and eat them within 3 days; the shells gradually soften after filling. For small shells, check how browned they are after 30 minutes, while thicker ones may need almost 40 minutes. The eggs for the dough are easier to mix in if they are at room temperature, and the mixture should hold its shape when you pipe it onto the tray. Whip the cream while cold, and make sure the custard has cooled completely before mixing, otherwise the cream will deflate. A packet of pudding mix made with 500 ml milk is a handy shortcut, but cooked custard tastes better. I serve them cold, with coffee. You can use 150 g dark chocolate instead of baking chocolate; they contain gluten, milk and eggs.

Frequently asked questions

Why do the shells collapse after I take them out of the oven?

If they flatten and seem damp in the middle, they need to dry out more. Leave them in the switched-off oven for another 6 minutes, with the door ajar.

What should I do if there are lumps in the custard?

Strain the warm custard through a fine sieve, then whisk it until smooth for 30 seconds.

Can I shape the shells without a piping syringe?

Yes. Put the dough in a food bag and cut off a corner to make a 2 cm opening, then pipe the éclairs straight onto the tray.

Why does the glaze stay sticky?

Chill the éclairs for another 12 minutes. A thick layer of chocolate takes longer to set than a thin one.