French · Dessert
Eclairs
Straight-sided coffee éclairs with a mirror fondant — piped with a French star tip for even rise; the patisserie counter's sternest judge of technique
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- Choux: water 90 ml, milk 90 ml, butter 80 g, salt 3 g, sugar 5 g, flour 110 g, eggs ~3.5 (190 g)
- Crème pâtissière: whole milk 500 ml, egg yolks 6 (120 g), caster sugar 100 g, cornflour 45 g, butter 30 g
- Espresso, reduced to 30 ml — from 90 ml
- Coffee extract — 5 ml
- Glaze: fondant pâtissier 250 g, espresso 20 ml, coffee extract 3 ml (or icing sugar 200 g + espresso 30 ml)
Method
- Make choux paste as standard; load a piping bag with a 14 mm French star tip.
- Pipe 12 cm straight lines onto a perforated mat; the star ridges prevent cracking.
- Bake at 170 °C fan 35–40 min until evenly bronze and hollow-light; cool on a rack.
- Pâtissière: whisk yolks, sugar, cornflour; add hot milk; boil 2 min whisking; beat in butter, reduced espresso and extract. Chill filmed.
- Pierce three holes under each éclair; pipe in the beaten coffee cream until it back-pressures.
- Warm fondant to 34–37 °C (no hotter — it loses shine) with espresso and extract to a thick ribbon.
- Dip each top in a single clean motion; sweep the edge with a finger; set 15 min.