Classic Eclair Recipe
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Custard Cooling Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 18 eclairs
Ingredients
Ingredients for Choux Pastry:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
Ingredients for Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
For the Chocolate Glaze:
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips*
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
How to Make Choux Pastry
- In a Medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup flour all at once with a wooden spoon.
- One flour is incorporated, place back over medium heat about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes stirring constantly (to release extra moisture and partially cook flour), or until dough comes together into a smooth ball and a thin film forms on bottom of pan.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and beat using an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute to cool the mixture slightly. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate between additions. Beat until dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up.
- Pipe eclairs over baking sheet lined with silicone using a 1/2” round tip. Pipe 18-20 (4” long and 3/4” wide) strips, keeping them 1 1/2″ apart.
- Bake at 425˚F for 10 minutes. Without opening oven, reduce temp to 325˚F and, bake 30 minutes longer or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool while making pastry cream.
How to Make Pastry Cream:
- In a medium saucepan bring 2 cups milk, vanilla bean and scraped seeds just to a boil, stirring to prevent film from forming.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup corn starch and pinch of salt. Add 4 egg yolks and whisk until smooth, creamy and lightened in color – it takes a couple of minutes but it will get there.
- Gradually (so the eggs don’t curdle), while whisking constantly, add hot milk in a steady stream until all of it is incorporated. Pour mixture back into saucepan and bring to a boil while whisking constantly then whisk another 30 seconds until mixture is thick and pudding-like in consistency.
- Transfer pastry cream to a medium bowl (whisk in 2 tsp vanilla extract if using). Cut butter into pieces and quickly whisk into the custard until fully incorporated Cover with plastic directly over the surface of the cream, let it cool slightly then refrigerate 30 minutes or until cool.
- With a small pastry tip, poke 2-3 holes through the bottom of each cooled pastry. Pipe cream inside, scraping off excess. Refrigerate eclairs while making chocolate glaze.
How to Make Chocolate Glaze:
- Place 4 oz of chocolate chips into a small heat-safe bowl.
- Heat 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (in a saucepan or microwave) until it is just at a simmer then remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let rest 2 minutes then whisk from the center outwards until smooth sauce forms.
- Dip the top half of filled and chilled eclairs into the chocolate sauce, allowing excess to drip off.
Cream Puffs Recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 28 cream puffs
Ingredients
Ingredients for Choux Pastry:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour measured correctly
- 4 eggs (large), room temperature
Ingredients for Cream Filling and Garnish:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream chilled
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 28 raspberries optional
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar to garnish
Instructions
How to Make Cream Puffs:
- Preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.
- In a Medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 8 Tbsp butter, 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Bring just to a boil over medium heat then remove from heat and stir in 1 cup flour all at once with a wooden spoon.
- One flour is incorporated, place back over medium heat stirring constantly for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes to release extra moisture and partially cook flour. A thin film will form on the bottom of the pan and dough will come together into a smooth ball.
- Transfer dough to a large mixing bowl and beat using an electric mixer on medium speed for 1 minute to cool mixture slightly. Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, allowing to fully incorporate between additions. Beat another minute until dough is smooth and forms a thick ribbon when pulled up.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2″ round tip. Pipe 28 puffs, each 1 1/2” diameter and 1/2” tall rounds. Keep them 1″ apart and avoid making peaks* but if you do get peaks, wet finger tips lightly with water and smooth them out.
- Bake at 425˚F for 10 minutes in the center of the oven. Without opening oven, reduce temp to 325˚F and, bake 20-22 min longer or until golden brown on top. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
How to Make Whipped Cream:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups heavy cream, 4 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy with stiff peaks (2 min). Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
- Once cream puffs are completely cooled, fill them with cream. There are 2 ways to fill them: (#1) pipe the cream into the puffs by pushing the pastry tip into the side and piping until cream pushes back, or (#2) Cut off tops of puffs and pipe cream inside using a pastry bag, push a raspberry down into the center if desired, then cover with the tops. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Cheese Puffs (Gougeres)
- Level: Easy
- Total: 45 min
- Active: 20 min
- Yield: 24 cheese puffs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 stick (4 ounces/113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
- 3 to 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water with the milk, butter, sugar and salt and stir over low heat until the sugar, butter and salt have melted. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a healthy simmer.
- Take from the heat and immediately add the flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens, is smooth and no flour lumps remain. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, until a film forms on the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring, careful not to scrape up the film, for a minute or two more.
- Transfer the mixture (panade) to a food processor. Mix for a minute to dissipate the heat. Add the eggs one at a time with the processor running. Pay attention to the consistency of the paste. It should be smooth and shiny, so you may only need 3 of the eggs. Stir in the cheese.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop generous mounds onto the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them an inch apart. Place in the oven, immediately reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese puffs are golden brown.
French Butter Cookies (Sable Breton)
PREP TIME15 minutes
COOK TIME15 minutes
TOTAL TIME30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup + 5 tbsp salted butter
- 3 egg yolks, separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy – about 1 minute.
- Add 2 egg yolks and the vanilla extract, and mix on medium speed until they’re incorporated. Stop to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula before resuming the mixing. Add the flour in and mix on low speed just until the dough starts to clump together.
- Lightly flour a wooden board or counter before placing the mass of dough onto it. Use your hands to shape the dough into a big ball. Then sprinkle some flour on top of the dough before using a rolling pin to roll the dough out. As soon as the dough starts sticking to your pin, sprinkle a pinch of flour on the dough, then resume rolling. Roll your dough out until it’s approximately 1/4″ thick.
- Use medium round cookie cutters (2.25″/5.75 cm) to cut out round cookies from the dough. Use a sharp-edged spatula to transfer the cookie rounds onto the baking sheet. Place 12 cookies on the baking sheet, spaced out from each other. Beat the remaining yolk in a small bowl. Use a fork to make a cross-hatch pattern on the cookies (drag the fork down vertically on the cookie, then drag the fork across horizontally). Brush the tops of the cookies with the beaten egg yolk.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until they’re a deep golden color. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Palmiers
- Total: 35 min
- Prep: 25 min
- Cook: 10 min
- Yield: 40 to 45 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Combine the sugar and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar/salt mixture on a flat surface
- Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry.
- This is not about sprinkling, it’s about an even covering of sugar.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it’s 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half as though closing a book.
- You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.
- Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.
Lemon Madeleines
MAKES 1 DOZEN
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
PREPARATION
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes or until the mixture forms a ribbon when the beater is lifted.
- With a whisk, gently fold in the dry ingredients. Fold the butter in the same way. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Butter and flour a small madeleine pan. Set aside.
- Fill each cavity three-quarter up with batter. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the madelienes are lightly golden brown. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining of the batter. If desired, serve with lemon curd.
- NOTE
- This batter will keep for three to four days in the refrigerator. Madeleines are best baked the same day they will be eaten. The baking time for standard-sized madeleines is about 14 minutes.
French Macaron Recipe
CourseDessert
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
resting time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 8 minutes
Servings18 filled cookies
Equipment
- Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Sifter
- Parchment Paper
- Piping Bag
- 802 Round Piping Tip
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 4 oz almond flour
- 8 oz powdered sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 oz egg whites aged overnight in the fridge and brought to room temperature
- 2/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 oz granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 drop gel food coloring
Buttercream
- 2 ounce pasteurized egg whites
- 5 ounces powdered sugar sifted
- 5 ounces unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
For Macarons
- Preheat oven to 300ºF and line a 1/2 baking sheet with silicone macaron mat with built in template
- Sift together the powdered sugar, salt, and almond flour, twice if not blended.
- Pulse the mixture in a food processor 8-10 times to make the almond flour mixture even finer and texture and to blend the ingredients together.
- Whip the egg whites on low to frothy consistency and slowly add the sugar in thirds while mixing on low.
- Once the egg whites turn white and you can see some lines forming in the surface from the whisk, add cream of tartar, whipping on medium until soft glossy peaks form.
- Add the vanilla (and food coloring if desired) to the meringue during the soft peak stage. Then continue whipping on medium-high until you get stiff but shiny peaks that start gathering and bunching on the inside of the whisk.
- Add 1/3 of your almond mixture to the meringue. Fold your spatula under the batter and around the edges and then cut through the center until almond flour is mixed in. Continue with the rest of the almond flour and folding until homogenous.
- Gently press the spatula on top of the batter while you turn the bowl to take out some of the air from the meringue. Continue folding around the outside edge until the batter forms a ribbon and moves like lava.
- Your meringue is ready when it forms a ribbon off the spatula and the batter that settles almost dissolves all the way back into the rest of the batter but still leaves a bit of a line.
- Pipe small rounds about 1″ in diameter.
- Drop the pan onto the table 5-6 times from about 5″ above the table to release bubbles. Use a toothpick to remove big pockets of air trapped under the surface. Use a very small amount of water on your fingertip to smooth any rough spots.
- Allow them to dry, uncovered until a crust forms on the surface. About 15-60 minutes or until a dry film develops over the surface of the cookie. For humid areas put a space heater nearby to help dry the cookies faster.
- Bake at 300ºF for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Smaller cookies will bake in 10 minutes, larger cookies will need to bake longer. If not quite baked, bake for an additional 1 minute. Cooled cookies should pull away from the parchment paper without sticking. If they do stick, they were not baked enough.
- Let cool fully before removing from the parchment and filling with buttercream. Cookies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Shells can be frozen for 6 months in an airtight container.
- For the buttercream
- Place egg white, powdered sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on high for 5 minutes. Then add in softened butter and vanilla and whip until light and creamy.
Notes
You can replace the vanilla with any other type of flavoring that you desire
Vanilla Crème Brûlée
- YIELD 4 servings
- TIME 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups heavy or light cream, or half-and-half
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 5 egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar, more for topping
PREPARATION
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla bean and salt and cook over low heat just until hot. Let sit for a few minutes, then discard vanilla bean. (If using vanilla extract, add it now.)
- In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar together until light. Stir about a quarter of the cream into this mixture, then pour sugar-egg mixture into cream and stir. Pour into four 6-ounce ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish; fill dish with boiling water halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until centers are barely set. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours and up to a couple of days.
- When ready to serve, top each custard with about a teaspoon of sugar in a thin layer. Place ramekins in a broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat source. Turn on broiler. Cook until sugar melts and browns or even blackens a bit, about 5 minutes. Serve within two hours.
Crepes
- Cook: 20 min
- Yield: 17 to 22 crepes
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup flour
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- Butter, for coating the pan
Directions
- In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.
- Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.
Cook’s Note
*Savory Variation Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, spinach or sun-dried tomatoes to the egg mixture. *Sweet Variation Add 21/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of your favorite liqueur to the egg mixture.
Mille Feuille
Servings 9 pastries
Ingredients
For the Pastry Cream
- 2 cups whole milk 473mL
- 1/2 vanilla bean split lengthwise
- 6 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup sugar 135g
- 1/4 cup cornstarch 37g
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter 15g, cold
For the Dough
- 1 package frozen puff pastry
For the Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
For the Whipped Cream
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Pastry Cream
- Slice a vanilla bean down the middle and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds.
- Transfer the milk and vanilla seeds to a medium pot and place over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil whisking occasionally then immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, whisk the sugar and corn starch together then add the egg yolks and whisk until light and fluffy.
- Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the saucepan.
- Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Let cool slightly.
- Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the plastic against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill at least 2 hours or until cooled.
For the Pastry Layers
- Thaw your puff pastry on the counter for about 45 minutes then unfold one sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Preheat oven to 400F.
- Roll out to about 1/16 an inch then use a knife or pizza cutter to cut 2×4 inch rectangles.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper then place the first batch of rectangles about 2 inches apart. Place another sheet of parchment on top then cover with another baking sheet.
- Bake for about 11 minutes rotating tray halfway through. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat process with 1/2 of the remaining sheet of puff pastry for the additional rectangles. You can clean up the edges with a sharp knife if desired.
For the Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar to a large bowl then pour in the vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of milk whisk together and add more milk as needed. You want a spreadable consistency but not a watery “flooding” consistency.
- Transfer about 1/3 cup of the glaze to a different bowl and add the cocoa powder an another tablespoon of milk. Whisk together until smooth. Add more milk as needed so the chocolate glaze matches the vanilla glaze in consistency. Transfer each batch of icing to a piping bag. You can use a small round tip like a #4 for the chocolate or just snip the tip off.
For the Assembly
- Lay out 9 rectangles onto a wire rack over a piece of paper. Spread the vanilla icing onto each rectangle then pipe stripes of chocolate onto each one. Use a toothpick, skewer, or knife to create the chevron pattern by dragging the tool across the chocolate stripes in alternating directions. Set aside to set.
- You can speed things up by arranging the tops in a grid where they’re all touching then pipe the chocolate and create the chevrons.
- Whip the cream and powdered sugar together until somewhat stiff peaks form. Whip the chilled pastry cream to break it up and smooth it out Add half a cup of the whipped cream to the pastry cream then whisk together. Fold in the remaining whipped cream then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large rough tip like a 1a or 803.
- You DON’T have to add whipped cream to your pastry cream but it does lighten things up and increase the volume of your filling.
- Pipe 8 dollops of pastry cream onto the first piece of puff pastry. Place another piece of pastry on top then pipe eight more dollops and add the top on.
