Eclairs with pistachio custard cream
The economic editorial office of our publication was housed in two offices. The offices were divided according to the gender principle - in one only girls, and in the second - the boss and men. We in our girl's room "lived" well - in between work could discuss the figure of Angelina Jolie, returning to the lunch break, look in the store, and then, closed in the office, try on new clothes. The appearance in our office of a new employee Yura changed completely the foundations of our female "kingdom" and was given at first hard. But Yura turned out to be a real gentleman - on her birthday he gave her a bouquet of flowers separate from the team, on March 8 he spoiled her with eclairs from the nearest expensive confectionery "Volkonsky"...
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Why such a long introduction? Simply these eclairs were the favorite dessert of the whole female half of the editorial staff, we still remember them sometimes. For me it is a whole memory and emotion.
The most favorite were pistachio ones, with green fudge on top. And I always wanted to learn how to make them, but somehow it didn't work out. And recently I bought pistachio paste (yes, it is finally sold in our regular online stores) and tried to make these eclairs. The recipe is not "Volkonsky" (they do not give away their secrets), but Pierre Hermé. The flavor is very delicate and rich, and they are not difficult to prepare. Help yourself!
Composition:
batter:
- milk - 125 gr.
- water - 125 gr.
- unsalted butter - 115 gr.
- sugar - 0,5 tsp.
- salt - 0,5 tsp.
- flour - 140 gr.
- large eggs - 4-5 pieces .
cream:
- milk - 300 ml
- large egg yolks - 4 pcs.
- sugar - 50 gr.
- cornstarch - 3 tbsp.
- pistachio paste - 80 gr.
- cream butter - 80g .
Italian meringue:
- egg white - 1 egg white .
- sugar - 63 gr.
- water - 19g.
glaze:
- sugar powder - 100 gr.
- lemon juice - 1 tbsp.
Cooking eclairs with pistachio custard:
Choux pastry:
Pour the milk and water into a small saucepan, add the butter, salt and sugar and bring to the boil.
When the mixture comes to a boil, quickly pour in the sifted flour, and without removing from the heat, knead vigorously with a whisk until the dough is smooth and pliable. Keep stirring and leave the heat on for one minute to dry the dough - when the dough starts to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, remove from the heat.
Place the dough in a food processor fitted with the «hook» or "K attachment and mix on medium speed. When the mixture has cooled slightly (after 2 minutes), begin to incorporate one egg at a time, beating very well for at least 1-2 minutes each time, until the egg is completely dispersed in the dough. Pour in the last egg in small batches. Not all the eggs may be needed. The finished dough should be like thick sour cream and should fall off the hook with a ribbon.
The dough should be like a thick sour cream and should fall off the hook with a ribbon.
If you don't have a food processor, kneading can be done by hand with a spatula, it just takes a lot of physical effort to knead the dough well until smooth.
Transfer the dough into a pastry bag and pipe eclairs of desired size onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Leave a distance of about 4 cm between the eclairs - they should grow 2-3 times in the oven.
Allow the dough to rise.
Bake the eclairs in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 7 minutes. Then open the oven door ajar and bake for another 13 minutes - until golden. The whole baking time should take 20-25 minutes.
Bake the eclairs for 7 minutes.
The most common mistake is to not finish baking eclairs. Finished eclairs should have a firm crust. If after baking the eclairs «deflated», it means they are underbaked.
All the eclairs should have a firm crust.
Pistachio custard:
In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and set aside.
Pistachio custard:
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
Whisking constantly, pour a little hot milk into the yolks, mix thoroughly, and then gradually pour in all the remaining milk.
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, place over medium heat and, stirring constantly with a whisk, cook the mixture until thickened. If there are lumps, don't be alarmed - stir thoroughly or beat the mixture with a blender.
Remove the custard from the heat, add the pistachio paste and stir until combined.
Then add the chopped butter and knead until dissolved.
Wrap the cream in clingfilm so that it touches the surface and put it in a cold place until it cools.
Italian Meringue:
Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan. The syrup should come to a boil and reach a temperature of 121 degrees.
Whisk the egg whites until lightly frothy.
While still beating, pour the hot syrup into the protein in a thin stream. Whisk until the mixture is thick, smooth, glossy and airy.
Mix the Italian meringue into the chilled pistachio custard in several stages.
Glaze:
Add lemon juice to the powdered sugar and stir until smooth.
The amount of lemon juice determines the thickness of the glaze - use your own tastes.
Assembly:
Slice the eclairs in half lengthwise and use a pastry bag to pipe the cream down the entire length (or use a teaspoon).
Slice the eclairs in half and use a pastry bag to pipe the cream (or use a teaspoon).
Close with the other half, brush with glaze and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
If you have a long eclair nozzle, simply poke a hole in the finished eclair and squeeze out the cream without cutting it.
Store the filled eclairs in the refrigerator.
The longer the eclairs are stored, the more the cream soaks into the pastry and the softer they become.
Happy eating!
