Caramel Eclairs
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Whisk
- 1 heatproof bowl
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 sheet of parchment paper
- 1 piping bag
- 1 1/2-inch round tip
- 1 skewer or paring knife
- 1 Wire rack
- 1 Thermometer
Ingredients
- 120 milliliter water
- 120 milliliter whole milk
- 115 gram unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 5 gram granulated sugar
- 3 gram fine salt
- 150 gram all-purpose flour sifted
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 500 milliliter whole milk
- 100 gram granulated sugar divided
- 30 gram cornstarch
- 3 large egg yolks
- 30 gram unsalted butter softened
- 5 milliliter vanilla extract
- 240 milliliter heavy cream cold
- 200 gram granulated sugar for caramel
- 60 milliliter water for caramel
- 60 milliliter heavy cream warmed for caramel
- 30 gram unsalted butter for caramel
- 2 gram fine sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt, bring to a boil over medium heat, then remove from heat and stir in flour until a dough forms.
- Return pan to medium heat and cook the dough, stirring constantly, until it pulls from the sides and leaves a thin film on the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and beat for 1 minute to cool slightly.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the batter is smooth, glossy, and falls from the spoon in a thick V-shape.
- Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe 12 logs about 12 cm long onto the baking sheet, spacing well.
- Smooth any peaks with a damp fingertip and mist lightly with water.
- Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes, then reduce to 180°C and bake 20–25 minutes more until puffed, deep golden, and hollow sounding.
- Turn off the oven, poke a small hole in each eclair with a skewer, and return to the oven with the door ajar for 10 minutes to dry.
- Cool shells completely on a wire rack.
- For pastry cream, heat milk with half the sugar in a saucepan until steaming.
- In a bowl whisk remaining sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks until pale, then slowly whisk in hot milk.
- Return mixture to the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until thick bubbles appear and cream is glossy and thick.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla, then press plastic wrap directly on the surface and chill until cold.
- Whip cold heavy cream to soft peaks and fold into chilled pastry cream to make light crème diplomat.
- Poke two small holes on the underside of each shell and pipe the cream into the eclairs until filled and slightly heavy.
- For caramel glaze, combine sugar and water in a clean saucepan and cook without stirring until a deep amber color.
- Carefully whisk in warmed cream, then butter and salt, cooking briefly until smooth and slightly thickened.
- Pour caramel into a shallow heatproof bowl and let cool until thick but still fluid.
- Dip the tops of filled eclairs into the caramel, letting excess drip off, and set on a rack to set.
- Chill eclairs 30 minutes to set the caramel and firm the filling before serving.
Notes
Aim for a smooth, pipeable choux that forms a V when it falls from the spatula; if it’s too stiff, beat in a teaspoon of egg at a time. Bake eclairs thoroughly to prevent collapse, and always dry them in the turned-off oven to keep the interiors crisp. Keep your caramel pan spotless and avoid stirring once it’s boiling to prevent crystallization, swirling gently instead. Warm the cream before adding to caramel to minimize sputtering, and let the glaze cool to a thick but pourable consistency for clean tops. Eclairs are best the day they’re made, but you can bake shells ahead and freeze them airtight; re-crisp in a 160°C oven for 5–8 minutes before filling.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!