Chocolate Éclairs – Daring Bakers August Challenge

I am really late for what was a really important date -the posting of the Chocolate Éclairs for August Daring Bakers Challenge Event. Nevertheless, I am happy I made them!

Tony Tahhan and MeetaK chose Chocolate Éclairs by Pierre Hermé for the August challenge.

Basically, the Chocolate Éclairs are made up of three elements:

Pâte à Choux, also known as Choux Pastry or Cream Puff Dough
Pastry Cream
Chocolate Glaze

Pastry Cream

The rules of the challenge was that either the pastry cream or glaze had to be chocolate.

I thought I would make the chocolate glaze but use my favourite lemon scented pastry cream recipe but then I thought why not try the chocolate pastry cream? It came out so good and creamy.

Choux Pastry

The choux pastry not so good. Although I followed the instructions to the letter, the éclairs deflated once I took them out of the oven. I don’t know what I did wrong, but they were still edible.

The Chocolate Glaze Dilemma

I am following the direction to make the chcolate sauce thinking I am making the chocolate glaze. That’s why I found it strange that it called for a cup of water to be added to the other ingredients – doesn’t the glaze have to be spreadable? But then whom am I to argue with Pierre Hermé? For some reason, I missed reading the part that only 7 tablespoons of the chocolate sauce was to be used to make the chocolate glaze.

I ran out of bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream needed to make the glaze. I had only about an hour to finish the éclairs and make supper. No time to run out and buy the missing ingredients. So my solution was to sprinkle icing sugar on the éclairs and hope for the best.

We had them for the dessert and the family thought they were delicious – deflated choux pastry, icing sugar and all. Well I make these again? Probably. But only after I solve the ‘deflated choux pastry’ problem.

For the recipe, visit MeetaK. Check out the Daring Bakers’ Chocolate Éclairs here.