Pistachio Cream Filled Eclairs
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- 1 Parchment paper roll
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 electric mixer or hand whisk
- 1 piping bag
- 2 piping tips 1 large round, 1 small round or Bismarck
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Fine mesh sieve
- 1 small knife
Ingredients
- 120 ml water
- 120 ml whole milk
- 115 g unsalted butter cubed
- 6 g granulated sugar
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 150 g all-purpose flour sifted
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 500 ml whole milk for pastry cream
- 100 g granulated sugar for pastry cream
- 30 g cornstarch
- 4 large egg yolks
- 30 g unsalted butter softened
- 120 g pistachio paste pure
- 2 g vanilla extract
- 1 g fine sea salt for pastry cream
- 200 ml heavy cream cold
- 80 g dark chocolate chopped for glaze
- 40 ml heavy cream for glaze
- 20 g shelled pistachios finely chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.
- Remove from heat, dump in sifted flour at once, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until no dry streaks remain.
- Return the pan to medium heat and cook the dough, stirring, until it forms a smooth mass and leaves a thin film on the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a large bowl and let cool 5 minutes until warm but not hot to the touch.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time with a mixer, fully incorporating each before adding the next, until the dough is glossy and forms a thick V when lifted.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe 12 logs about 12 cm long on the prepared sheets, spacing well.
- Smooth any peaks with a damp finger and mist lightly with water.
- Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes, then reduce to 175°C and bake 15–20 minutes more until deeply golden and puffed.
- Turn off the oven, poke a small slit in each éclair with a knife, and return to the oven with the door ajar for 10 minutes to dry.
- Cool shells completely on a rack.
- For the pastry cream, heat milk in a saucepan until steaming but not boiling.
- In a bowl, whisk sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt until thick and pale.
- Slowly whisk in half the hot milk to temper, then return the mixture to the saucepan with the remaining milk.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick bubbles form and the cream holds lines, about 2–3 minutes after boiling.
- Off heat, whisk in butter, pistachio paste, and vanilla until smooth.
- Strain through a sieve into a clean bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and chill until cold, about 1 hour.
- Whip the cold heavy cream to soft peaks and fold into the chilled pistachio pastry cream until smooth.
- Fit a piping bag with a small round or Bismarck tip and fill with pistachio cream.
- Pierce the ends or underside of each éclair in two spots and pipe cream until the shells feel heavy.
- For the glaze, heat 40 ml cream until steaming, pour over chopped chocolate, let sit 1 minute, then stir until glossy.
- Dip the tops of filled éclairs into the chocolate glaze, letting excess drip back into the bowl.
- Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and chill 20–30 minutes to set before serving.
Notes
Use room-temperature eggs for the choux to incorporate more easily and adjust the final egg addition as needed; the dough should be pipeable but hold its shape. If the dough seems too stiff, lightly beat one extra egg and add a teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Keep oven doors closed during the initial bake to prevent collapse, and dry the shells thoroughly so they stay crisp when filled. Pure pistachio paste (100% nuts) gives the best flavor; if using a sweetened spread, reduce sugar in the pastry cream slightly. Éclairs are best the day they’re filled, but you can bake shells ahead, freeze, and recrisp in a 160°C oven for 5–8 minutes before filling.
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