Eclairs
Description
The pastry is prepared simply and quickly. I present a classic of the genre – the combination of fragrant strawberries and delicate cream. Fill classic choux pastry with airy strawberry cream and everyone who tastes it will be unable to tear themselves away from such a dessert! I suggest decorating the cakes with strawberry and chocolate glaze, or you can simply dust them with powdered sugar. Try it Serve it cooled or slightly warm.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Start the preparation with strawberry puree. Berries—fresh or frozen—about half a kilo—sprinkle with 2–3 spoonfuls of sugar and heat until it dissolves, without bringing to a boil. Mash the berries with a pestle or blend them in a blender.
- 2
Step 2
Sift the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds.
- 3
Step 3
Measure 150 ml of strawberry puree into a saucepan for the dough, and also pour in the milk. Add salt, butter and bring the mixture to a boil.
- 4
Step 4
Add all the flour at once, actively stirring it with a spatula, pressing it to the bottom of the pot and forming a dense lump. Dry the dough while stirring for about a minute.
- 5
Step 5
Remove the pot from the heat and cool the dough to 80 °C. Add the eggs one at a time, kneading the dough thoroughly. The dough should become homogeneous, thick, soft, smooth, but not runny. The number of eggs may be slightly less or more, so I recommend beating the last egg and adding it to the dough in portions. Work quickly; the finished dough should still remain warm.
- 6
Step 6
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a star tip and pipe small sausages or shells onto a parchment‑lined baking sheet. Bake the éclairs in a pre‑heated oven at 200 °C until the dough rises. Then reduce the heat to 170 °C and continue baking the éclairs until fully done, without opening the door. The finished éclairs should be brown in color, and the crust should be dry. Let the baked éclairs cool in the oven until warm, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
- 7
Step 7
For the cream, soak the gelatin according to the instructions. Heat 200 ml of strawberry purée and add the squeezed gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved and let the mixture cool.
- 8
Step 8
Whip the cream with powdered sugar into a fluffy mass. Gently fold in the strawberry purée that has begun to set.
- 9
Step 9
Using a pastry bag and tip, fill the pastries with cream and place them in the refrigerator for half an hour.
- 10
Step 10
Decorate the eclairs with strawberry glaze and melted chocolate, and if desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Done! Serve with a cup of tea or coffee.