Serves 12
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY
- 65g unsalted butter
- 100g strong bread flour
- 3 large Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs, cracked into a jug
- Pinch of salt
FOR THE FILLING
- 350ml double cream
- Rose water
- Vanilla paste
- 250g fresh raspberries
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
FOR THE TOPPING
- 200g good quality white chocolate
- Sugared rose petals (optional)
- 2 tsp freeze dried raspberries, crushed
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 200 ̊C/Gas Mark 6. Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper and mark out 6 evenly spaced 12cm lines on each one. These will act as a guide later for piping the eclairs. Have a large piping bag ready fitted with a large round nozzle.
2 Place the butter and 150ml water in a large saucepan and put on a medium heat until the butter has melted, allow the water to come to the boil and as soon as it does, switch off the heat and then quickly tip all of the flour into the pan at once. As quickly as possible, mix everything together with a wooden spoon. As you mix, you’ll see the lumpy dough transform into a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the pan. Mix most of the egg into the pan a little at a time, mixing well and looking for the desired “dropping” consistency.
3 Transfer the mixture to the piping bag and pipe the mixture confidently along the drawn lines. Once the mixture is piped, place the trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. After that time, reduce the heat to 180 ̊C and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden and well risen. Turn off the oven and leave the eclairs to harden a little for 5 minutes.
4 Make a slit in each end of the éclair to allow the steam to escape and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
5 Meanwhile, pick 12 perfect raspberries and put to one side. Place the rest of the raspberries in a mixing bowl with the icing sugar and add a few drops of rose water. Mash through a small sieve and place to one side.
6 Put the double cream into a large mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste and whisk to soft peaks. Ripple through half the sieved raspberry and place the rest to one side.
7 To prepare the cream for piping, place a few tablespoons in a piping bag with a wide nozzle and spoon in 1 teaspoon of raspberry coulis, add more cream and a little more coulis followed by the rest of the cream. Keep the rest of the coulis for drizzling.
8 Either pipe the cream into the cooled eclairs or cut them in half and pipe the cream down the centre to make a sandwich. Repeat with all the eclairs and place them back on the cooling rack.
9 Meanwhile, break up the white chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl over a small pan of simmering water on the hob. Stir until melted.
10 Take the bowl off the heat and carefully dip each éclair into the chocolate at a 45 degree angle to coat the top. Place a raspberry on top of each eclair and sprinkle over the dehydrated raspberry and rose petal (if using).
11 Place the eclairs back on the cooling rack and allow to set in the fridge or in a cool place for around 30 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of remaining coulis.
Recipe by Clarence Court Eggs