Servings: 22 blueberry mini eclairs
Ingredients
Eclairs:
- ¼ cup water ~60 ml
- ¼ cup milk ~60 ml
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter ~45 g
- 2½ oz white bread flour ~70 g
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1¼ tsp sugar
- 2 large eggs ~95g after cracking
Blueberry sauce:
- 2 cups blueberries ~300g
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar ~20g
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice ~10g
Blueberry mascarpone cream:
- 3/5 of the blueberry sauce ~75g
- 3/4 cup heavy cream 180g
- 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese 180g
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar ~30g or more to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
Blueberry ganache:
- 2/5 of the blueberry sauce ~50g
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream 30g
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chunks ~85g
Instructions
Eclairs:
- Preheat Oven: Heat oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Boil Butter Mixture: In a pot, mix butter, milk, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, ensuring the butter melts completely.¼ cup water, ¼ cup milk, 3 tbsp unsalted butter, ¼ tsp salt, 1¼ tsp sugar
- Add Flour: Off the heat, add the flour all at once and stir. Return to low heat, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes until the dough is thick, glossy, and leaves a thin film on the pot bottom.2½ oz white bread flour
- Cool Dough: Transfer dough to a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes, spreading it out to cool faster.
- Whisk Eggs: Beat eggs in a separate bowl.2 large eggs
- Mix Dough: With the dough slightly cooled, mix with a hand mixer. Gradually add half the eggs, mix, then add the remaining eggs bit by bit until the dough forms a 'V' shape when lifted with a whisk or spatula.
- Prepare Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone mat. Optionally, draw 4- to 5-inch lines with 2 inches in between on the parchment as a guide for piping.
- Piping Prep: Fill a piping bag with a large tip with the eclair dough.
- Pipe: Pipe the dough into strips on the tray, spaced more than an inch apart. Smooth any irregular ends with wet fingers.
- Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 40 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for minis), reducing the temperature if the eclairs start to brown prematurely, and open the oven door slightly for the last 5 minutes to release steam.
- Cool: Let eclairs cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
Blueberry sauce:
- Cook Blueberries: Place all the blueberries in a medium saucepan (washed if using fresh), add one tablespoon of sugar, and cook on medium heat until they break down and the mixture boils, stirring occasionally.2 cups blueberries, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- Strain: Strain the mixture into a bowl using a mesh strainer, pressing with a spoon or spatula to extract the juice. Discard or eat the skins.
- Thicken: Return the blueberry puree to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to a spoonable consistency (8 to 15 minutes).
- Add Lemon Juice and Sugar: Add lemon juice and the remaining sugar, stir to combine, and adjust the flavor with more sugar or lemon juice if needed. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat.2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Divide: Divide the sauce into two portions: two-fifths in one container and three-fifths in another. Cool the larger portion quickly for the mascarpone cream by submerging it in a bowl of cold water. If made in advance, let the sauce cool, then refrigerate and divide before starting the ganache.
Blueberry ganache:
- Prepare Double Boiler: Fill the bottom pot with 1-2 inches of water, ensuring it doesn't touch the bottom of the top bowl. Bring the water to a gentle simmer over low to medium heat.
- Add Chocolate and Cream: Chop the white chocolate into small pieces or squares. Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and add heavy cream.1/2 cup white chocolate chunks, 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Melt Chocolate: Place the bowl over the simmering water, ensuring it fits snugly and doesn't touch the water. Stir the chocolate every two minutes until it melts completely and combines with the cream.
- Add Blueberry Sauce: Stir in the reserved blueberry sauce for the ganache.2/5 of the blueberry sauce
- Remove from Heat: Take the bowl off the double boiler, wipe the bottom, and set aside. Keep the hot water in the pot in case you need to rewarm the ganache.
Blueberry mascarpone cream:
- Whip Heavy Cream: Pour cold heavy cream into a cold bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and whip on medium speed until the mixture doubles. Stop before reaching the soft peaks stage.3/4 cup heavy cream, 4 tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add Mascarpone Cheese: Add mascarpone cheese to the whipped cream and mix on medium speed until the frosting is firm and smooth. Stop immediately if it starts becoming grainy.3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
- Add Blueberry Sauce: Add the cold blueberry sauce reserved for the cream (the larger portion) and whip on low speed for a few seconds until combined. If the cream starts becoming grainy before adding the sauce, stir it in using a spatula instead.3/5 of the blueberry sauce
- Taste and Adjust: Taste the cream and stir in more powdered sugar if needed.
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate the cream until ready to pipe the eclairs.
Combine:
- Prep Eclairs: Using a small round piping tip, poke three holes (two for minis) in the bottom of each eclair, ensuring the hole is large enough for the piping tip. Alternatively, make similar holes with a paring knife. If preferred, slice each eclair in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
- Pipe Eclairs: Fill each eclair with blueberry mascarpone cream until the cream starts coming out of the other holes or any cracks. A decorating syringe or piping bag works well.
- Top with Ganache: Pour the blueberry ganache into a bowl and dip the top of each eclair, smoothing any excess with a finger if needed. If too thick, warm slightly in a double boiler. If too thin, cool in a bowl of cold water until it thickens.
- Decorate: Add fresh blueberries if desired.
- Serve or Refrigerate: Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
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