Ingredients

The following ingredients have 12 Servings
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2/3 cup (5 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract OR 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 5 large eggs
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, shaved or finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instruction

  • The day before, prepare the pastry cream filling as it needs sufficient time to set.In a saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle simmer.In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk together with sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla bean seeds until combined and no lumps remain.Slowly whisk a 1/4 cup of hot milk into the eggs; it will be thick at first but will loosen up as the milk incorporates. Continue adding hot milk, 1/4 cup at a time, until about half of the milk has been added and mixture is hot to the touch. Whisk the tempered egg/milk mixture back into the hot milk on the stove. Continue to whisk over medium heat until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble (careful as it will spatter). Continue to cook for exactly one minute to thoroughly out the starchy flavor of the cornstarch. Stir in almond extract or bourbon (if desired).Pour the pastry cream into a container or heat-proof bowl, pressing plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.To prepare the eclairs,  preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk, water, salt, sugar, and butter and bring to a full boil over medium heat. Add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture comes together and dries out slightly so that it pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 3 minutes.Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a heat-proof mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. When all the eggs have been added, the dough will be thick, smooth, and shiny.Spoon some of the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch-round tip. Pipe out tubes about 5 inches long and 1 inch wide, or 3-4 inches long and 1 inch wide for mini eclairs. Leave about 2 inches of space between eclairs as they will puff up quite a bit when baking. If you have any “tails” or imperfections, you can smooth them out with a damp fingertip.Bake until puffed and just starting to show some color, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue to bake until hollow inside and evenly golden brown outside, about 12 minutes more. Remove from the oven and, using a metal skewer, poke a small hole in the end of each shell to allow the steam to escape. Let cool on wire racks.To prepare glaze, combine chocolate and corn syrup in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream until it just starts to bubble (do not let it come to a full boil), and then pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes, then stir gently until smooth and shiny.To assemble the eclairs, stir the cold pastry cream until smooth. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a small star or special filling tip. Using the holes on each end that you made when the eclairs came out of the oven, fill the shells until they start to feel heavy. Do not overfill or they may start to spew filling out the sides.Dip the top of each filled eclair into glaze, letting excess drip off, then place upright on a wire rack and allow glaze to set. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Alternatively, unfilled pastry shells can be frozen for up to 3 weeks. Recrisp in a 450 degree F oven for about 10 minutes; let cool before filling/glazing as instructed.