Hmm… today it's time to tackle a monument of French pastry-making. A technique that often sends shivers down the spines of amateurs (but also professionals when they leave their beloved ovens). I'm talking about: the chocolate eclair. We'll also take a closer look at the chocolate eclair icing because it's far from a walk in the park!
I've already detailed in an article how to succeed with choux pastry so that won't be the subject of today. You can also find in my article on chouquettes how to properly hold your piping bag for successful piping. Because while I don't find choux pastry very difficult to master, achieving regular piping is another matter! But to start, a little lesson in pastry history!
Why is a chocolate eclair called an eclair?
I didn't know this before writing this article, but the chocolate eclair owes its name to the speed at which it's eaten! We owe its invention to Antonin Carême, who in the 19th century had the idea of adapting a recipe from that era called "pain à la duchesse" by removing the almonds and adding fondant and chocolate pastry cream. Final historical note: the eclair is slowly putting the religious bun on the back shelf in pastry shops (much to my dismay!). Indeed, since the eclair is simpler to make, it's favored for profitability reasons.
Regulated size of chocolate eclair for CAP pastry
At CAP pastry, an eclair must be between 12 and 16 cm. You have the right to bring a template to trace markers on the siliconized sheet provided by the center. But I'd rather recommend using this trick taught in training centers: take your dough cutter and dip it in water. Dip it in flour and place a flour line on your baking sheet. That's the ideal size for piping your chocolate eclairs! Repeat as many times as needed to produce the number of eclairs required in the technical sheet.
What piping tip for a chocolate eclair
Once your choux pastry is made according to the rules and you've learned to properly hold your piping bag, all you have to do is fill the bag with your choux pastry. You have several options for piping tips: a PF (small pastries) 14 or 16 ridged or smooth. If you choose a smooth tip, you'll need to score your eclairs with a fork. Personally, I get the best results with a PF 16.
Piping the eclair
It's not easy to give you tips for this step, except that the pressure must be constant to get regular eclairs. Don't worry, it comes quite quickly with practice! For anecdote's sake, know that at most top chefs' places (including Cédric Grolet), eclairs are piped along the entire length of the baking sheet, frozen, then cut to size with a knife.
Back to our eclairs, remember to bring the back of the eclair down so it doesn't stick out (don't hesitate to correct with a fork dipped in water). All that's left is to brush them with beaten egg and put them in the oven for 35 minutes at 180°C. If all goes well, your eclairs will start to rise. Don't open the oven door, at the risk of seeing them shrivel up.
How to check the cooking of your eclairs?
Just because your choux pastry has risen nicely in the oven doesn't mean you've won. If it's undercooked, your beautiful eclairs will fall (it happened to me several times and it's REALLY frustrating!). First, know that it's better to slightly over-bake the eclairs, they'll regain their softness anyway when they come into contact with the pastry cream.
Several points can help you:
- they must be well browned
- there should be no more droplets
- the inside of the ridges should no longer be shiny
If you respect that, normally everything's good! But I invite you to test and practice to know the recipe that works best for you!
What cream for the chocolate eclair?
Chocolate eclairs are filled with chocolate pastry cream. Several schools of thought: either you cut the eclairs in half, or you make 3 holes with a small piping tip and fill afterwards. As you can see, I chose to make holes. I find it more elegant and it leaks less I think.
Personally I advise against the filling piping tip, it always ends up jamming it's super annoying (or maybe I'm not good at it, that's possible too!). And I also recommend putting little in your piping bag (at worst you can refill it a second time). If you put all your pastry cream at once, the pressure needed to pass the cream through the eclair will have to be too strong and it risks bursting the bag... Go easy on the pastry cream!
How to know that the chocolate eclair is properly filled?
It's simple you'll feel it by the weight first. As the eclair fills with pastry cream, its weight increases. When you feel it has really changed weight, it's because normally it has been filled evenly. You can check that the cream comes out of the last hole, which is a sign that the eclair is well filled!
Now choux pastry has no more secrets for you and it should go smoothly to make these delicious chocolate eclairs!
How to make the icing for chocolate eclairs?
The final coat of many pastries (and not just the eclair) is made of a preparation called pastry fondant or white fondant. Indeed, this icing is found notably on the mille-feuilles or the religious bun. It is composed of glucose syrup and (lots of) sugar. We can flavor it depending on the pastry we want to cover. Here we will add a small amount of cocoa paste to give it that chocolate taste we love so much! You can now find fondant in shops that sell pastry equipment or make your own fondant (but I don't recommend it, it's a bit long and the application is already technical enough in itself).
Preparing chocolate eclair icing: the technique
Indeed, the temperature of the fondant is crucial for application: it must be warm enough and a bit liquid to be applied, but not too hot so it doesn't become dull. Your fondant should therefore never exceed 37°C. This is called: adjusting the fondant.
How to do it concretely?
As I said, you just need to put a good amount of fondant in the saucepan and add about fifteen grams of cocoa. Put everything in a saucepan over a double boiler on low heat and mix until the technique is fluid and homogeneous. To dilute overly hard fondant, you can add a little water or Brix 30° or 60° syrup (be careful with the quantity, go slowly). Since the fondant must always be at 32-33°C, you'll have to go back and forth with your saucepan on the heat while you're glazing your eclairs. So be careful to monitor the temperature!
The trick to making successful chocolate fondant
Little tip from a pastry teacher: make large quantities. Indeed, a large mass will be less subject to temperature fluctuations and will be easier to work with. So don't hesitate to use the full amount, especially since it keeps very well.
Applying the chocolate fondant
There are two techniques for applying pastry fondant to eclairs: the dipping technique and the spatula technique. I'd like to refer you to this video from the Versailles Academy which explains very well how to glaze eclairs simply.
Another method, the spatula method, you pour the fondant in a ribbon with a spatula and quickly pass the eclair underneath (bottom to top).
The second method is cleaner but doesn't cover the entire eclair (it makes a thinner band). Personally, I like it less; so I dip. The important thing is to find the technique that works for you and that you master.
Is my fondant successful?
During the exam, you will be evaluated on 2 criteria: the shine of the chocolate fondant and the cleanliness of the icing edges.
Self-criticism: my fondant is moderately well set up, it should normally be a little more shiny.
You're now all set to make magnificent chocolate eclairs worthy of the best French pastry shops!
