Servings: 18 ginger cinnamon mini eclairs
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Ingredients
Ginger Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups milk ~480 g, plus about 1/4 cup more to top up
- 1 inch ginger about 6 g or 0.2 oz
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 egg yolks medium or large, about 60-70 g
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch ~40 g
- 7 tablespoons sugar ~87 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ~28 g
Eclairs:
- ¼ cup water ~60 ml
- ¼ cup milk ~60 ml
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter ~45 g
- 2½ oz all-purpose flour ~70 g
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1¼ tsp sugar
- 2 large eggs ~95g after cracking
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter ~14 g, for brushing
Cinnamon Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/3 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/3 tablespoons butter
- pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
Ginger Pastry Cream:
- Prep Ginger: Peel the ginger and cut it into thin slices.1 inch ginger
- Infuse Milk: Heat milk until just below boiling. Remove from heat, add ginger, and steep for 20 minutes.2 cups milk
- Strain and Measure: Strain the milk, squeezing out the ginger to extract flavor, and top up the milk to 2 cups.
- Heat Milk Mixture: Combine milk, vanilla, and sugar in a clean pot. Heat to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 7 tablespoons sugar
- Prep Yolks: While the milk heats, whisk yolks, cornstarch, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of the milk mixture (while it's still lukewarm) in a bowl.4 egg yolks, 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- Temper Eggs: Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture in small additions to avoid curdling.
- Thicken Cream: Return the mixture to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling (2–4 minutes).
- Whisk Off Heat: Remove from heat and whisk for about a minute until smooth.
- Add Butter: Stir in butter until fully melted and incorporated.2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Taste and Adjust: Taste while hot and add sugar or cinnamon if needed.1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Strain if Desired: Strain through a mesh sieve for extra smoothness.
- Cool: Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature before using.
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 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 all-purpose 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.
- Brush with Butter: Melt a small knob of butter and brush all the piped eclairs using a pastry brush.1 tbsp unsalted butter
- Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 40 minutes (35 for mini eclairs), 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.
Cinnamon Glaze:
- Melt the butter. Melt on the stove or in the microwave without boiling.
- Mix dry ingredients. Combine powdered sugar (sifted if lumpy) and cinnamon.1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Add milk and vanilla. Stir until thick but uniform. If dry spots remain, add milk ¼ teaspoon at a time.1 1/3 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mix in melted butter. Stir it in; the glaze will thicken.1 1/3 tablespoons butter
- Adjust consistency. If too thick or lumpy, add milk in tiny amounts. If too thin, add powdered sugar. The glaze should drizzle but not run.
- Add salt to taste. Mix in a pinch at a time, tasting as you go.pinch salt
Combine:
- Prep Eclairs: Poke three holes in the bottom of each eclair with a piping tip or paring knife, or slice them in half horizontally.
- Whisk Pastry Cream: Whisk the pastry cream until smooth if it's stiff from refrigeration.
- Pipe Filling: Fill each eclair with pastry cream until it starts to come out of the holes or cracks.
- Glaze Eclairs: Dip the tops of each eclair in the cinnamon glaze. Adjust consistency of the glaze with milk or powdered sugar if needed.
- Serve or Chill: Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.
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