Chocolate Cream Éclairs

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Choux Pastry

1. 1
   In a pot, bring the water to a boil with the butter and salt.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Add the flour all at once and stir over the heat for 1–2 minutes, until the dough comes together into a ball and pulls away from the sides.

   Stove

   💡Cooking on the stove dries the dough: that way it absorbs more eggs, and their steam puffs it up in the oven.
3. 3
   Let cool 5 minutes and add the eggs one at a time, beating hard after each, until the dough is smooth and glossy.

   💡Add the next egg only after the previous one is fully absorbed: dough that gets eggs too fast turns runny and won't hold its shape.
4. 4
   Pipe 10 cm strips onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

   Piping bagBaking panParchment paper
5. 5
   Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (390°F) 25 minutes, until the pastries are puffed and golden. Don't open the oven partway through.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Opening the oven partway through lets the steam out and the pastries collapse. Open it only when they are golden and firm.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.

For the Ganache

1. 6
   Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl.

   Bowl
2. 7
   Heat the cream with the sugar until just about to boil and pour over the chocolate. Wait a minute without touching.

   StoveSmall saucepan
3. 8
   Stir gently from the center outward, until you get a smooth, glossy cream.

   💡Stir gently from the center outward: vigorous stirring beats in air, and the ganache loses its shine.
4. 9
   Cool completely and Whip into an airy chocolate cream.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

To assemble

1. 10
   Cool the pastries completely and halve each one.

   Knife
2. 11
   Fill each one with the filling.

   💡Fill only completely cooled pastries, and close to serving: filling in a warm pastry melts, and a pastry left standing filled turns soggy.
3. 12
   Melt the chocolate and cream together and coat the pastries.