Evan's Birthday Eclairs - Grandparents.com

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Molly O'Neill is our Food Editor. She is the former food columnist for The New York Times Magazine. O'Neill is the author of three cookbooks, including the best-selling New York Cookbook (Workman Publishing, 1992), A Well Seasoned Appetite (Penguin, 1997), and The Pleasure of Your Company (Viking, 1997). She was the host of the PBS series Great Food, and edited the critically acclaimed anthology American Food Writing (Library of America, 2007). Her latest work, Mostly True: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball (Scribner, 2006), recounts her childhood of growing up in a Major-League baseball family.

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by Molly O'Neill

“On my birthday I never wanted cake, I wanted chocolate éclairs. My daughters are more flexible about their birthday dessert but my son, Evan shares my addiction. This year he turned 40 and we had a big party. I baked 90 mini-éclairs and watched his children eat three at a time. I suspect the tradition will continue.

Like any pastry, these chocolate-dipped, custard filled éclairs call for a slower pace and precise measurements. If you bake these ahead of time you may re-crisp them in 350 degree F oven for ten minutes.

To Make the Éclair Shells:
1 cup water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in slivers
1 cup flour
Pinch salt
4 eggs

To Make the Custard Filling:
2 1/2 cups milk
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon butter

To Make the Fudge Glaze:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Karo syrup

To Make the Pastry Shells:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with baker's parchment. Bring the water and butter to a boil. Stir in the flour and salt all at once and stir until dough forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pan clean. Transfer to a mixing bowl and with wire whisk attachment, add the eggs one at a time, beating until each one is incorporated into the dough. Continue until all eggs are added. When the mixture is smooth and glossy, spoon into a pastry bag and pipe into longish ovals on the baking sheets, about 3 inches long, and a few inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 20 minutes longer or until well puffed and golden. Test the center and see if it has dried out well. If not, leave in oven with door ajar for 10 minutes more. Place on racks to cool.
(If you bake these ahead of time you may re-crisp them in 350-degree F oven for 10 minutes.)

To Make the Vanilla Custard Filling:

1. Bring milk to a boil. In a bowl, beat yolks and sugar until pale and thick. Beat in the flour. Gradually add the hot milk, then return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, about five minutes. Add the vanilla and stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Cool over an ice bath. Cover top with plastic wrap.
(This can be made ahead and refrigerated for a day or two.)

To Make the Fudge Glaze:

1. Combine the unsweetened chocolate, heavy cream, sugar, and Karo syrup in a small saucepan, over high heat and stirring until sugar is dissolved and chocolate is melted. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 224 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, add 1 teaspoon vanilla, and allow to cool slightly.
(This is best made just before serving. If made ahead of time, the glaze must be warmed carefully before using)

To Assemble the Éclairs:

1. Place a small tip on a pastry bag and fill the bag with the custard. Poke a hole at the end of each éclair shell and pipe the custard into each. Carefully dip the tops in the fudge glaze and serve.

Serves 8 to 10.