COCONUT ECLAIRS
The Daring Bakers has been a wonderful outlet for me to try new things in the kitchen. And the eclairs were no exception. They were SUPER simple to make, but yet again without the Daring Bakers I would have NEVER attempted them.
I am not in a blogging mood today..so this will be short!
The hosts this month were Meetak and Tony Tahhan.
Check out all of the other Daring Bakers Creations HERE
With the exception of the Pastry cream I followed the directions exactly.
I made A Delicious COCONUT pastry cream
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)
• Cream Puff Dough (see below for recipe), fresh and still warm
1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Divide the oven into thirds by positioning the racks in the upper and lower half of the oven.
Line two baking sheets with waxed or parchment paper.
2) Fill a large pastry bag fitted with a 2/3 (2cm) plain tip nozzle with the warm cream puff dough.Pipe the dough onto the baking sheets in long, 4 to 41/2 inches (about 11 cm) chubby fingers.Leave about 2 inches (5 cm) space in between each dough strip to allow them room to puff.The dough should give you enough to pipe 20-24 éclairs.
3) Slide both the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes, slip the handle of a wooden spoon into the door to keep in ajar. When the éclairs have been in the oven for a total of 12 minutes, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Continue baking for a further 8 minutes or until the éclairs are puffed, golden and firm. The total baking time should be approximately 20 minutes.
Notes:1) The éclairs can be kept in a cool, dry place for several hours before filling.
Assembling the éclairs:•
Chocolate glaze (see below for recipe)•
Chocolate pastry cream (see below for recipe)
1) Slice the éclairs horizontally, using a serrated knife and a gently sawing motion. Set aside the bottoms and place the tops on a rack over a piece of parchment paper.
2) The glaze should be barely warm to the touch (between 95 – 104 degrees F or 35 – 40degrees C, as measured on an instant read thermometer). Spread the glaze over the tops of the éclairs using a metal icing spatula. Allow the tops to set and in the meantime fill the bottoms with the pastry cream.
3) Pipe or spoon the pastry cream into the bottoms of the éclairs. Make sure you fill the bottoms with enough cream to mound above the pastry. Place the glazed tops onto the pastry cream and wriggle gently to settle them.
Notes:1) If you have chilled your chocolate glaze, reheat by placing it in a bowl over simmering water,stirring it gently with a wooden spoon. Do not stir too vigorously as you do not want to create bubbles.
2) The éclairs should be served as soon as they have been filled.
Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 20-24 Éclairs)
• ½ cup (125g) whole milk
• ½ cup (125g) water
• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature
1) In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil.
2) Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough will be very soft and smooth.
3) Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your hand mixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time,beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough.You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.
4) The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.:
Notes
1) Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately.
2) You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.
Chocolate Pastry Cream Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by PierreHermé
• 2 cups (500g) whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
6 tbsp (75g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Velrhona Guanaja, melted
2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1) In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.
2) Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.
3) Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat).Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat.
4) Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice‐water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth.
5) Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice‐water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice‐water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.
Notes:
1) The pastry cream can be made 2‐3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
2) In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream.
3) Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.
Chocolate Glaze Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1 cup or 300g
1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream
• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature
1)In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula.
2) Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.
Notes:
1) If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly
in the microwave or over a double boiler. A double boiler is basically a bowl sitting over (not touching) simmering water.
2) It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.
Chocolate Sauce Recipe from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé
(makes 1½ cups or 525 g)
• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (250 g) water
• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar
1) Place all the ingredients into a heavy‐bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens.
2) It may take 10‐15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.
Notes:
1) You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using.2) This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts
Your eclairs look great, Leslie! Great job!
Your eclairs are beautiful!!! This was such a fun challenge.
Oh they look so good and I love the coconut addition 😉
OMG, your eclairs are as gorgeous and beautiful as you are my dear 🙂 I love them!! What can I say you are indeed a great baker!! love the coconut and chocoalate combo!!
ps, i hope everything is alright now on your side..dont worry about those nincampoops…you are a beautiful and strong person inside and out
I love your coconut ecclairs!! Coconut is one of my favorite things, and next time I will definitely be adding it to my eclairs!
Did you use the Lowel light on these amazing eclairs or are these previous-to-being-grounded photos?
I LOVE the coconut version of éclairs that you made – trés magnifique! :0)
what an awesome eclair!!! i almost reach out for one and have to snap out of it to remind myself that it’s only a picture… i’ll definitely keep your recipe… who knows? one of these days, i might be courageous enough to make these… and btw, keep smiling… 🙂
Ok, I need to get a damn ego thingee light or whatever it’s called. Your photo’s are sooooooo much better now. Good thinking on adding the coconut.
Gorgeous photos.
So glad you un-grounded yourself for these eclairs. They are gorgeous!!
These look delish! Nice job with the added coconut flavors!
What beautiful éclairs. Adding coconut is a great idea. Fantastic job Leslie!
this is awesome…I have never had the nerve to make eclairs….you make it seem easy!!!
They look nice and hollow, so perfect for your filling. The puffs are just precious! I love coconut with chocolate.
jancd..
I made these Pre-grounding!
I still havent baked anything since I got in trouble!!:)
Your eclairs look beautiful, especially your glaze!
Hey, snap! I made a coconut pastry cream, too 🙂
Your éclairs are absolutely beautiful! I love the coconut on top. It looks ethereal against the chocolate glaze.
how gorgeous are they! I could just eat one of those right now.
Hi Leslie, I have seen you at the private website and am so impressed with your posts. Your eclairs look so lovely. Cynthia
Althoug you’re not in a blogging mood the pictures were enough! Oh dear! That coconut pastry cream with the chocolate must have been heaven! They’re beautiful!
They look amazing! I love how you added your own twist to them!
Leslie, your éclairs look wonderful!
I love the coconut pastry cream idea, must be delicious!
Oh I love eclairs. Very creative to make a coconut cream! Gorgeous photos, Leslie!
Oh my dear lord God almighty!
These look so amazing. I was sitting here nibbling on a light supper and just put it right back down. I don’t want it anymore! I WANT ONE OF THOSE!!!!!
I love coconut, so that was a great idea!
Looking at these eclairs is just killing me! Eclairs are one of my favorite desserts.
Your photos are stunning! The lighting and the backdrop – wow!!! Oh, and the eclairs look great too!!!
Have a delicious day 🙂
ooohhh, Leslie, these look delicious. Are you purposely taunting me as I am trying to stay n bathing suit shape? I love the coconut on top, very nice touch. You always make something delicious.
Those are beautiful! Glad to see you’re still in the kitchen!
Mmmmmm! Lookin’ good – you did a great job!
Your eclairs look fantastic – YUM!
Mmmm coconut.
These look excellent!
Great job :D.
Mmmm… coconut. Your eclairs look lovely
Everyone’s an amazingly daring baker, and I’m like the cowardly lion of the kitchen 🙁 Your eclair is stunning, Leslie! I love how the coconut contrasts beautifully with the dark chocolate.
Yes, your blog is a happy place I realise 🙂 I’m glad the whole situation has sorted itself out.
Ya! Mine did get more than a little messy and yours are gorgeous and clean as a whistle! They are some of the best pics I saw this challenge, you are so talented! Good call on the coconut!
Sorry you don’t much feel like bloggin’ -it’s not that lower than low family still is it?! I hope not!
While I am not a fan of coconut, they look stunning. Good job.
They are like little Mounds candy bars! YUM! They look beautiful. 🙂
Wonderful pictures and the eclair looks awesome. Love the blog and the videos. Will be back for sure!!!
Coconut is a great twist!
Those eclairs certainly look heavenly and very appetizing!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and for your comment. Very much appreciated. Take care. 🙂
how did you manage to glaze them so perfectly! these look so professional!
I love coconut, not as much as chocolate mind you, but a bunch still. I just made toasted coconut ice cream. The eclairs are very nice and you are far too pretty.
So pretty Leslie! Yours look fab with all that coconut piled on top!
Wow I just read and commented about your ridiculous fight and can’t remember if I commented on your eclairs which is the reason I came here to begin with. I love coconut, and they are beautiful. Count me as your friend after all that.
Jum!! These look absolutely amazing, must try to make these some day!!
Oh so pretty with that coconut. Your new lighting is making all of your fab creations shine even brighter.
I love the coconut in these!! They look super tasty! Nice work!
Your eclairs look wonderful…that coconut pastry cream sounds divine. Will you be posting it? Pretty please? 🙂
I really need to bite the bullet and join the Daring Bakers myself. Otherwise I’ll continue to bake vicariously through you and other bloggers never getting out of my comfort zone!
~ingrid
These look wonderful!
Oh my…. I have never had so much space spent on something so delightful….. I will come back when I can print up these recipes….
Even though I am not a fan of coconuts, those eclairs look so fabulous! The pictures are amazing! I think I gained 10 pounds just looking at them!
I have a great eclair recipe, too. Step 1: Go to Sams Club. Step 2: Grab container of eclairs. Step 3: Serve on pretty dish and let your guests think you slaved for hours. LOL
I just posted my first video blog. I hope I make you proud! 🙂
Fantastic as usual, girl!!
Gorgeous Leslie! I love the coconut pastry cream! Great choice!!
🙂 I know what you mean about Daring Bakers getting you out there trying new desserts, I feel the same way about ’em. You did a lovely job on these Eclairs. The photos are really nice too!
I love eclairs, cream puffs… all those made out of choux pastry and filled with glorious custard.
Oh my those look great! Coconut pastry cream? Yumm!
Oh, they’re just lovely! And I love coconut.
Hi! I blogged about your banana bread 🙂
http://oatsandhoney.blogspot.com/2008/09/banana-bread.html
Your eclairs look stunning with the coconut on top. Good job.
Your posts never disapoint. Another Challenge you totally rocked! Stunning eclairs
your eclairs look so perfect! your glaze is super shiny 🙂 love the idea of coconut ones!
Leslie,
Now I’m definitely getting that Lowel Ego Light. Not only did you photos come out great, but the clarity and detail are making me drool. Great job on the eclairs!
By the way, I read about your blog fight below, and it’s amazing how badass some get behind the safety of their keyboards, huh? They’d never say those awful things to you in real life. It’s SO blatantly obvious they’re jealous of your looks, so don’t even give it another thought. I imagine ‘at least’ one of them is probably missing teeth, and I’m just being nice. 😛
Love the addition of coconut! Your eclairs looks delish!
I love the coconut on top! I’m a nut for coconut!
They look fabulous, great job.