Servings: 12 large pistachio eclairs
Equipment
Ingredients
Choux Pastry:
- 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
Pistachio Pastry Cream:
- 2 cups milk ~480 ml
- 4 egg yolks medium or large about 60-70g
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch 40g
- 7 tablespoons sugar ~87g
- 2 oz pistachio paste 1/4 cup or ~60g
- 2 oz white chocolate ~60g
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
- 3 oz dark chocolate ~85 g
- 1/3 cup heavy cream ~80 ml
- 1.5 oz pistachios ~42g, optional
Instructions
Make Choux Pastry:
- 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 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.
Pipe and Bake Eclairs:
- 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 an inch apart. Smooth any irregular ends with wet fingers.
- Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for 40 minutes, 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.
Make Pistachio Pastry Cream:
- Season Paste: If your pistachio paste is from raw pistachios, taste it and add a pinch of salt to bring out the pistachio flavor if needed.2 oz pistachio paste, 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
- Prep Pot: Combine the majority of the milk (reserving 1/4 cup), pistachio paste, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and sugar in a saucepan. Whisk until well blended.2 cups milk, 4 egg yolks medium or large, 7 tablespoons sugar
- Cook: Heat the mixture on medium until it almost boils, stirring regularly to prevent the egg from cooking.
- Prepare Starch Slurry: In a separate bowl, mix the reserved milk with cornstarch to form a smooth slurry.4 tablespoons cornstarch
- Add Starch Slurry: Once bubbles appear in the saucepan, remove from heat and quickly stir in the starch slurry.
- Thicken: Return the saucepan to the stove, cook on low to medium heat while stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles (about 2-4 minutes).
- Finish Cooking: Remove from heat and whisk for another minute to ensure a smooth consistency.
- Add White Chocolate: Add chopped white chocolate, wait 30 seconds, then stir until melted and mixed in.2 oz white chocolate
- Taste Test: Adjust the flavor with additional sugar or vanilla if needed.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Strain (Optional): Strain through a sieve to remove any lumps or cooked egg bits.
- Cover: Cover with plastic wrap touching the cream's surface, cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate if not using right away.
Make Ganache:
- Prep Chocolate: Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl.3 oz dark chocolate
- Heat Cream: Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles form at the edges.1/3 cup heavy cream
- Combine: Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, wait a minute, then stir until smooth.
- Smooth Out: If there are unmelted bits, either strain the ganache or gently reheat and stir until fully melted.
- Cool Down: Allow the ganache to cool, optionally speeding this up with a cold water bath and stirring occasionally.
Assembly:
- Fill Eclairs: Equip a piping bag or syringe with a small nozzle, fill it with pistachio cream, and inject into the eclair shells, filling from both ends if needed to ensure they're fully stuffed.
- Top with Ganache: Ensure ganache is syrupy; thicken in a cold water bath if runny, or warm up if stiff. Dip eclair tops into the ganache, smoothing excess with fingers.
- Add Pistachios: Sprinkle chopped pistachios over the freshly coated tops.1.5 oz pistachios
- Finish: Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Tried this recipe?Comment below or tag your snaps @definitelynotachefblog or #madewithdnac!