Custard-Filled Éclair

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter or 113 grams
• A pinch of salt
• 5 eggs
• Custard:
• 3 tablespoons custard powder
• 2 cups liquid milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• To top the éclairs:
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup liquid cream

Method

1. Place the water, milk, butter, and salt in a pot over medium heat and stir well until combined.
2. When the mixture boils, remove it from the heat.
3. Add the flour and stir quickly until the flour dissolves and a soft, cohesive dough-like mixture forms.
4. Return the mixture to the heat for only two to six minutes and continue stirring.
5. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir until it cools slightly and the steam subsides.
6. Add the eggs one at a time and whisk quickly.
7. You should get a soft, not dry, mixture.
8. Pipe the éclairs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and dust the tops with powdered sugar.
9. Place the tray in a hot oven at 230°C for about five minutes only, then lower the temperature to 180°C and bake them for about twenty or twenty-five minutes.
10. Turn off the oven and let them rest inside for about ten minutes.
11. Remove them from the oven and place on a rack until completely cool.
12. Make two openings in each éclair using a metal or wooden skewer.
13. Fill the éclairs with custard using a piping bag through these openings.
14. Decorate the éclairs as desired.
15. You can melt the chocolate chips with the cream in a double boiler to make a chocolate glaze to cover the éclairs.
16. Chill them in the refrigerator until cold and the filling sets before serving.
17. Custard method:
18. Whisk the custard powder with 1/4 cup of the milk in a small bowl.
19. Place the mixture in a pot over the heat.
20. Add the sugar and the remaining milk to the mixture on the heat.
21. Stir the mixture over the heat to prevent the custard from clumping at the bottom of the pot.
22. Continue stirring until the custard boils and thickens.
23. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool completely before using it to fill the éclairs.