Dr Frankenstein's ECG Eclairs For Halloween!
Eclair recipe adapted from Dream Puffs by Barbara Schieving, published by Oxmoor House, a division of Time Magazine
Makes 12-15 eclairs (depending on size)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
- 3/4 cup water
- 85g/3ozs. butter, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup plain all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
Icing
- 2 cups icing sugar (you can also use white chocolate, don't add the water below)
- Enough water to make an icing (start with 1 tablespoon and add drop by drop)
- Red icing pen
Filling
- 2 cups pure cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup strawberry jam (not one with too much whole fruit chunks)
Step 1 - Line two baking trays with parchment and preheat oven to 220C/428F. Prepare a large piping bag. Place the water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat. Remove from heat and add the flour all at once. Place back on the heat and keep stirring until the mixture pulls away from the edges and forms a ball. It will take 1-2 minutes.
Step 2 - Place the mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a beater attachment. Beat the mixture on medium speed for 1 minute. Cool for 5 minutes. Add in 3 of the eggs one at a time until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.
Step 3 - Spoon into the prepared piping bag and snip the end to create a 3/4 inch opening. Pipe onto the parchment into eclair lengths (about 8-10cms/3.2-4inches or so). With the extra egg, mix the yolk and 1 teaspoon water and brush over the top of the eclairs. Bake at 220C/428F for 5 minutes and then reduce heat to 190C/374F and bake for 35 minutes. Turn off oven and cool eclairs in the oven. Tip: if the eclairs sink in the centre once you've taken them out, the choux hasn't cooked enough inside.
Step 4 - When completely cold, whip the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Place in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (or plain, nobody really sees this but it's like wearing nice underwear, nobody really sees this apart from you most times). Place the jam into a small piping bag and snip the top off.
Step 5 - Cut the eclairs in half horizontally and fill the bottom half with the whipped cream and then the jam. Mix the icing ingredients together and then dip the top into the icing. Allow to dry before drawing the ECG signal on top. Keep refrigerated until serving.