Éclairs à la fraise et à la mandarine

( Strawberry and mandarin éclairs )

For many decades, éclairs were simply one of many classic cakes that you would expect to find in your local bakery, usually filled with either coffee or chocolate custard, or maybe fresh cream. Nowadays, however, thanks largely to the very talented pastry chef Christophe Adam, éclairs have enjoyed a resurgence, even dethroning the famed macaron for the title of ‘most popular new (old) must-have pâtisserie’.

The reason behind their massive success is their wonderful versatility (as was the case for the macaron). They can be filled with all manner of creams, curds and ganache, of an almost infinite combination of flavours and textures, and can be coated with every colour under the sun. Feel free to use this recipe as inspiration for your own ideas or flavours.

Makes about 35

750 g (1 lb 10 oz) Choux Pastry

Custard

40 g (1½ oz) maize cornflour (cornstarch)

100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

1 egg

2 egg yolks

500 ml (17 fl oz) strawberry purée (frozen or blended from fresh)

finely grated zest of 2 mandarins

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthways, seeds scraped

100 g (3½ oz) cold unsalted butter, chopped

50 ml (1³/₄ fl oz) whipping cream (35% fat)

Crumble

120 g (4¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

30 g (1 oz) almond meal

150 g (5½ oz) raw (demerara) sugar

150 g (5½ oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

red food colouring (see tip)

To decorate (optional)

strawberries, quartered

mandarin segments

pistachio nuts, very finely chopped

small mint leaves

small edible flowers, such as violas

L To make the custard, put the cornflour and sugar in a heatproof bowl and stir until smooth, then add the egg and egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Put the strawberry purée, mandarin zest and the vanilla bean and seeds into a saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously until the mixture comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and immediately add to the egg mixture in the bowl, whisking vigorously until combined well. Return the custard to the pan and whisk over low–medium heat until the custard thickens and returns to the boil. Remove from the heat, then remove and discard the vanilla bean.

L Transfer the custard to the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the butter and beat on low speed for 20 minutes, or until the custard is cool to touch (about 40°C/105°F). Add the cream and beat until well combined. Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. When refrigerating a warm mixture such as this custard, make sure the plastic wrap sits directly on the surface to avoid the formation of a skin. Set aside for 1 hour, then refrigerate until needed.

L Meanwhile, to make the crumble, put the flour, almond meal, sugar and butter in a food processor and process for 2–3 minutes, then add a few drops of food colouring and process just until the dough comes together. Shape into a disc, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

L Roll out the coloured pastry between two sheets of baking paper until 2–3 mm (¹/₁₆–¹/₈ in) thick. Remove the top sheet of paper. Then, using a sharp paring knife, cut the dough into 4 x 11 cm (1½ x 4¼ in) rectangles. Press all the scraps together, re-roll and repeat the process until you have 35 rectangles. Store the pastry flat in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, or until needed, before trying to lift it off the baking paper.

L Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease two baking trays, then line with baking paper. The paper will stick to the oil on the trays, making it much easier for you to pipe the sticky choux paste.

L Spoon the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) plain nozzle. Pipe éclairs about 10 cm (4 in) long and 2.5 cm (1 in) wide, spacing them about 5 cm (2 in) apart. Carefully place one chilled pastry rectangle on each éclair, then bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C (340°F) and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, leave to cool a little on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

L Using the tip of a paring knife or a skewer, make two holes (one in each end) in the base of each éclair. Remove the custard from the fridge and whisk vigorously until smooth. Spoon the custard into a piping bag fitted with a 4 mm (¹/₈ in) plain nozzle and pipe the custard into the éclairs. Make sure that the custard (or any filling for choux puffs) is cold or your éclairs will become soggy almost immediately.

L You can serve the éclairs as they are, but I like to decorate them with fruit, nuts and small mint leaves and edible flowers — all held on with a small dollop of left-over custard. Feel free to experiment with whatever you have on hand. The éclairs must be kept refrigerated until serving and are best eaten the day they are baked.

tip

All food colourings are not the same. Some are much more concentrated than others, some are sold as liquids or gels, paste or even dry pigments. In order to control the amount of colour you add to your cakes, always bind all your ingredients together first, then add the smallest amount of colouring. You can then add more at any time during the mixing process. As a rule, strong colours tend to give a modern look, while lighter colours tend to be associated with a more sophisticated look.