Raspberry is one of my top favorite summer fruit. I love its shape, texture and taste, and it combines perfectly in desserts and cakes.
These raspberry and chocolate eclairs are filled with milk chocolate cream and are glazed with chocolate and raspberry glaze, vanilla cream and fresh raspberries. It’s a wonderful dessert for hosting a fancy dinner!
Photo: Natalie Levin
Raspberry and Milk Chocolate Eclairs
For the eclairs:
- 160 ml. water
- 5 grams sugar
- 70 grams butter
- 3 grams fine salt
- 15 grams cornstarch
- 90 grams all-purpose flour
- 2-3 eggs (beaten)
Milk chocolate cream:
- 500 ml. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 140 grams sugar
- 50 grams cornstarch
- 100 grams milk chocolate (chopped)
- 250 ml. heavy cream
For chocolate and raspberry glaze:
- 75 grams white chocolate
- 30 grams natural nappage
- 20 grams raspberry puree
- A little red food coloring (optional(
For vanilla cream:
- 75 ml. heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. cream stabilizer or instant vanilla pudding mix
Decoration:
- 150-200 grams fresh raspberries
- Grated milk chocolate
- Make the eclairs: preheat oven to 250c degrees and turn it just before baking.
- In a medium saucepan put water, salt, sugar and butter and heat to a strong boil.
- Add cornstarch and flour and stir while cooking, until it turns into a lump of dough.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until it cools down a little.
- Add the eggs gradually while beating until dough is elastic and smooth. Check the readiness of dough by creating a “trail” with a wooden spoon in the center of the dough – if the track remains stable, add some eggs, and if it closes a bit – the dough is ready. It is important not to add too many eggs to the dough or it may become too soft and ruined.
- Transfer the dough to a pastry bag fitted with a serrated 2 cm piping tip. On a baking tray lined with baking paper pipe 8-10 cm long eclairs. It’s important to leave some space between the eclairs.
- Bake the eclairs in the shut-down oven for about 18-20 minutes. It is important not to open the oven door during this time.
- Turn the oven to 170c degrees (while eclairs are still in) and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of baking, leave the oven door open slot (put a wooden spoon in oven door). Cool completely at room temperature.
- Make 2 small holes at the bottom of each eclair.
- Milk chocolate cream: in a small saucepan put milk, vanilla and salt and heat to simmering point.
- Meanwhile, whip egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch.
- Strain the milk mixture and pour about 1/3 into the yolk mixture, while whisking until blended. Add the remaining milk mixture and mix well.
- Put the cream back in the saucepan and cook over medium heat while whisking until a thick pastry cream forms.
- Remove from heat and add in the chopped chocolate. Mix until blended.
- Transfer the cream into a flat container. Cover the surface with plastic wrap (in order to avoid crust formation). Cool the cream in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, until it is completely set.
- Transfer the cold cream into a bowl and whisk until it returns to the original texture.
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold into the chocolate cream until combined.
- Transfer about 3/4 of the cream into a piping bag fitted with 1/2 cm piping tip and the remaining into a piping bag with 1 cm serrated piping tip.
- Fill the eclairs with the chocolate cream, and keep in the refrigerator until decoration.
- Chocolate and raspberry glaze: chop the chocolate and put in a small bowl.
- Add nappage and raspberry puree and solvents together in the microwave or over double-boiler until everything is melted and mixture is smooth. If desired, add a little food coloring.
- Transfer the glaze into a flat container and dip the top of each éclair in the glaze. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set.
- Vanilla cream: in a bowl of a mixer, whip cream, vanilla and stabilizer until firm.
- Transfer the whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with 1 cm round piping tip.
- Decoration: Pipe mounds of chocolate cream on top of each éclair and arrange fresh raspberries. Drizzle small mounds of vanilla cream and garnish with chopped chocolate.
- Keep the eclairs in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, but they are at their best on the day or two after preparation.
- You can use strawberries or cherries instead of raspberries.
- You can use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.
Photo: Natalie Levin
Photo: Natalie Levin