Éclair

Ingredients:

Choux pastry
65g butter
2 tsp caster sugar
250ml water
A pinch of salt
125g flour
4 eggs
Filling
60g flour
15g butter
4 eggs
175g sugar
A pinch of salt
250ml milk
½ tsp vanilla essence
Glaze
100g icing sugar
1 Tbsp water or milk
1 Tbsp cocoa powder

Method:

  • Place butter, sugar, water and salt in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over gentle heat.
  • Remove pan from heat, and add in the flour all at once and mix quickly to blend.
  • Return pan over the heat and stir to dry out the dough , stirring often. This happens quickly - about a minute or two.
  • When the mixture is dry and leaves the sides of the pan, remove pan from the heat again and stir in the eggs one at a time until it is well blended and smooth.
  • When cool enough to handle, place the choux pastry into a piping bag with a 2cm plain nozzle and pipe out 5-6cm lengths of pastry. Leave space in between for them to expand.
  • Bake in a 190° C oven for 15-20 minutes until they are golden brown. Leave the oven door slightly ajar to let the steam escape.
  • When done, turn off the oven, and leave the buns in the oven to cool with the oven door open. While buns are cooling, make the filling.
  • Place flour, butter, eggs, sugar and salt in saucepan and mix it until its well blended.
  • Heat up the milk until boiling and pour it into the egg mixture. Stir well to blend. Add in vanilla essence.*
  • Place saucepan over the heat and bring it to a boil for a few minutes to thicken. Stir often to prevent burning.
  • Pour it into a bowl and set aside to cool.
  • To assemble the éclair. Make a deep slit into the bun and pipe in the custard. Spread glaze over the top of the éclair and chill it to set.

*Note: At this point, you can add whatever flavouring you wish, instead of simply vanilla. You could use 60g - 80g cooking chocolate or 1 - 2 Tbsp cocoa powder for a chocolate cream; or 1 - 2 Tbsp instant coffee granules for a coffee-flavoured filling. Other variations include rum, or lemon using the zest of lemon.



Le Gâteau au Chocolat

Ingredients:

4 eggs
200g sugar
½ cup flour, sifted
100g butter
100g dark chocolate
2 Tbsp Cointreau, or to taste
For the icing:
100g dark chocolate
100g heavy cream

Method:

  • Grease and flour a 20cm spring-form pan and line the bottom with greased-proof parchment paper.
  • Preheat oven to 180°C.
  • Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat until it is thick and creamy.
  • Sprinkle in the flour and gently fold it into the egg mixture.
  • In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate. Stir occasionally until it is smooth and glossy.
  • Gradually pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and gently fold it in to combine.
  • Pour into the spring form pan and bake for 35 minutes. A skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean.
  • Cool on rack for a few minutes, then drizzle over with Cointreau.
  • Remove the cake from the spring form pan only when the cake is completely cool.
  • Meanwhile, make the icing. Pour the cream and chocolate into a saucepan and melt it over a low heat. Set aside.
  • When the icing mixture is cool, beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread over the cake. Decorate with shaved chocolate, strawberries, nuts, etc, and serve.