Hazelnut and chocolate eclair
– choux pastry ,
– hazelnut praline pastry cream,
– white chocolate fondant.
Material used
– micro-perforated baking mat
– fluted tip
– pastry bag
– filling tip
– lightning bolt
Ingredients
Choux pastry
✔60g water
✔60g milk
✔70g flour
✔55g butter
✔Salt
✔1 teaspoon sugar
✔2 or 3 eggs (depending on size)
Hazelnut praline
✔130g hazelnuts
✔ 65g caster sugar
Pastry cream
✔450g milk
✔4 yolks
✔40g sugar
✔100g hazelnut praline
✔2g gelatine
✔25g cornstarch
Icing
✔115g white fondant
✔30g glucose
✔6g cocoa powder
✔5g water
+some hazelnut and hazelnut skins
The recipe
For approx. 8-9 éclairs
Icing
✔115g white fondant
✔30g glucose
✔6g cocoa powder
✔5g water
Pour all ingredients into saucepan. Heat the fondant to 60°C in a bain-marie. Pour onto the silicone chablon placed on a tray and place in the freezer for a few hours.
Hazelnut praline
✔130g hazelnuts
✔ 65g caster sugar
Pour the hazelnuts onto a baking tray and bake at 150°C for 15 minutes. In a saucepan, pour the caster sugar and make a caramel. Pour onto a sheet of parchment paper and leave to cool. Scrub the hazelnuts to remove as much skin as possible (keep a few skins to decorate your éclairs) and place them with the chopped caramel in the bowl of a blender. Blend until praline is obtained. You’ll have some praline left over for other recipes. It keeps well in a sealed container. Just make sure you blend it again before use, as the hazelnut oil will rise to the surface.
Pastry cream
✔450g milk
✔4 yolks
✔40g sugar
✔100g hazelnut praline
✔2g gelatine
✔25g cornstarch
Heat milk.
Mix the yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and heat the milk again.
Pour the hot milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Stir. Pour back into the saucepan. Stir until thickened. Add the chocolate pieces or pistoles. Mix well. Finally, add the butter, cut into pieces. Set aside in a bowl, filter and chill.
Choux pastry
✔60g water
✔60g milk
✔70g flour
✔55g butter
✔Salt
✔1 teaspoon sugar
✔2 or 3 eggs (depending on size)
+powdered sugar and cocoa butter
Heat the water, milk, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Mix well to dry out the dough for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the beaten eggs gradually, mixing well between each egg.
Poach the éclairs on a baking sheet lined with a microperforated baking mat, using a fluted tip. Sprinkle with a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa butter powder. Bake at 175°C for 35 to 40 minutes (time may vary according to oven). Place a tea towel over the oven door to allow steam to escape. Cool on a wire rack.
Assembly
Remove the hazelnut praline crème pâtissière from the fridge. Loosen a little with a spatula, then fill a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip. Make two small holes under each éclair.
Garnish the eclairs with the pastry cream.
Place the fondant on each éclair.
I decorated with hazelnut skins left over from making the hazelnut praline and a few halved hazelnuts.
