Chocolate & Hazelnut Eclairs

Eclair is a traditional French Pastry made of Pâte à Choux filled with Pastry Cream. The origins of the name 'Eclair' (meaning lightning in English) are not really well known ; but some say it's because this pastry is so good, it is eaten as fast as an 'eclair'!








This pastry is usually made with chocolate, coffee or vanilla pastry cream filling. I made this one Chocolate and Hazelnut to change a little and twist the classic recipe.










Pâte à Choux:
Whole Milk:  1/3 Cup + 4 tsp (100mL)
Water: 1/3 Cup (80 mL)
Butter: 2/3 stick butter - or 0.2 lbs (75 g)
Salt: 1 tsp
Granulated Sugar: 1 tsp
Flour: 3.5 oz (100 g)
Eggs: 3

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

Pour the milk and the water in a sauce pan. Add the butter, the salt and the sugar. Bring to a boil.

Add all the flour at once. Stir with a wooden spoon with energy until there is no lump. Once there is no lump keep mixing on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Place the dough in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring with the wooden spoon. Make sure the first egg is well incorporated to the dough before you add the next one.
When you take some dough in the spoon and make it fall in the bowl the dough should look like a ribbon.

Place the dough in a piping bag. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the dough into 1 in (3cm) by 6 in (15 cm) shaped cylinders.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes..


Chocolate Hazelnut Pastry Cream:
Corn Starch: 1/4 cup (35 g)
Granulated Sugar: 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (80 g)
Whole Milk: 1 1/2 cup (35 cl)
Egg Yolks: 4
Butter: 1.2 oz (35 g)
Chocolate: 7 oz (200g)
Hazelnut Paste: 2 to 3 tbsp

Pour the milk in a sauce pan placed over medium heat. Bring it to a boil.
In a bowl whisk the granulated sugar and the corn starch together. Add the egg yolks and whisk again.
Once the milk is boiling pour it oven the egg mixture while whisking. Bring it back over medium heat. Keep whisking until it boils. Remove from the heat. Add the butter and keep stirring until it's melted. Add the chocolate (in small pieces) and stir until it's all melted.
Add the hazelnut paste 2 to 3 tbsp, depending on your taste. Leave to cool in the fridge.




Filling and Decoration:
Once the pastry cream is cold place it in a pastry bag. Poke little holes on the bottom of the baked Pate a choux. Fill the Pate a choux with the Chocolate Hazelnut pastry cream.

Place a sauce pan with water over medium heat. In a bowl place 5.5 oz of choclolate (150g) and 2.3 oz of butter (60g). Place the bowl over the sauce pan and slowly melt the chocolate sauce.





Plunge delicately the top part of the 'eclairs' in the chocolate sauce.  You can also place some whole hazelnuts or crush hazelnuts on the top of the chocolate glazed eclairs.

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Lemon & Poppy Seed Tea Cakes

Is it tea time yet?!

I love tea time, and I love tea cakes!
They are usually easy to make and you can play with the flavors and the forms. You can make a big one and cut slices, make them in muffin form or you can even make mini ones in silicon molds.








This one will surprise your friends. The poppy seeds will give an unique crunchy pop sensation in the mouth and the lemon will bring a bit of acidity which reduces the sugar taste.





Tea Cakes:
2/3 cup (85 g) Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
A Pinch of Salt
1/2 stick (55 g) Butter
2/3 cup (135 g) Granulated Sugar, divided in 2 (1/3 + 1/3 cup)
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Lemon zest
2 1/2 tbsp Poppy Seeds
1/4 cup (60 g) Buttermilk



Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup Confectioner Sugar
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).

In a bowl of a standard mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix together 1/3 cup of sugar and the lemon zest for about 10 min (if you don't have a mixer, you can also do it by hand). Add the butter and mix for about another 10 min.
Add the egg yolks one at a time.
Beat in the lemon juice and the poppy seeds. Add alternatively the buttermilk and the flour and baking powder sifted.

In a separated bowl mix the egg whites until soft peaks. Add the rest of the sugar (1/3 cup) slowly. Keep mixing until stiff peaks.

Fold the eggs white mixture into the other batter.
Fill the molds you have chosen with the cake batter (you can use a muffin pan or a classic cake pan or even a silicon mold).

Bake the cakes for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Stir together the confectioner sugar and the lemon juice to make the glaze. Let the cakes cool down on a wire rack for 15 min. Brush the glaze on the cakes.






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