Creamy Cranberry Pistachio Eclairs
Equipment
- 2 Mixing bowl
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Fine mesh strainer
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 parchment paper sheet
- 1 piping bag
- 2 piping tip 1 large round, 1 small round
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Knife
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 120 milliliter water
- 120 milliliter whole milk
- 115 gram unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 6 gram granulated sugar
- 3 gram fine sea salt
- 150 gram all-purpose flour sifted
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 240 milliliter heavy cream cold
- 225 gram mascarpone cheese cold
- 60 gram powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest finely grated
- 120 gram dried cranberries chopped
- 80 gram pistachios toasted and chopped
- 120 gram white chocolate chopped
- 30 milliliter heavy cream warmed
- 1 tablespoon pistachio oil optional
- 1 tablespoon cranberry jam optional for filling
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a saucepan combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt then bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.
- Add flour all at once, stir vigorously until a dough forms and dries slightly, cooking 1–2 minutes until it pulls from the pan.
- Transfer the hot dough to a bowl and beat for 1 minute to release steam until just warm.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time until the dough is glossy and forms a thick ribbon that holds soft peaks.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe 12 logs about 11–12 cm long, spacing well apart.
- Smooth tips with a damp finger and mist lightly with water for better puff.
- Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes then reduce to 180°C and bake 20–25 minutes until deeply golden and firm.
- Turn off the oven, poke a small hole in each eclair with a skewer, and dry in the turned-off oven for 10 minutes.
- Cool completely on a rack for 30 minutes.
- For the filling whisk heavy cream to soft peaks then add mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla, and orange zest and whip to medium-stiff peaks.
- Fold in chopped dried cranberries and half of the chopped pistachios.
- Fit a piping bag with a small round tip and fill with the cranberry pistachio cream.
- Poke two holes on the underside of each eclair and pipe cream until just filled.
- For the glaze melt white chocolate with warm cream and pistachio oil until smooth and slightly thick.
- Dip tops of filled eclairs in the glaze and place on a rack to set.
- Sprinkle remaining chopped pistachios and a few extra cranberry bits over the glaze.
- Chill the eclairs for 45–60 minutes to set before serving, then dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
For a stable pâte à choux, ensure the dough cools slightly before adding eggs so it doesn’t scramble, and add the last egg gradually to reach a pipeable consistency that forms a V-shaped ribbon from the spatula. Bake until well browned to prevent collapse, and always vent the shells to release steam. Keep the cream cold for best whip, and avoid overbeating mascarpone to prevent graininess. You can substitute cream cheese for mascarpone and add 1–2 teaspoons orange liqueur for flavor. Store filled eclairs refrigerated up to 24 hours; unfilled shells freeze well for 1 month. If the glaze is too thick, loosen with a teaspoon of warm cream; if too thin, add a little more melted chocolate.
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