How was your weekend?
Baked anything?
Recently I'm having childhood reminiscing.
I'm trying to find my favourite show to watch, and one of them is Pocahontas
But I can't seem to find this show any more.
The only way is through ITunes store.
This isn't my first time doing elcairs.
Did it quite a few times. I don't have the chance to take a good photo of them.
I'm always rushing.
To be short, I'm clumsy.
I should have dust some icing sugar over them. Why didn't I think of that?!
Chocolate Elcairs
Makes 20 medium size elcairs.
Choux Pastry:
3 fl oz + 1 tablespoon - 100ml water
4 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon - 60grams unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
60grams cake flour
3 eggs, beaten
Pastry Cream:
1 2/3 cup - 400ml full cream milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup - 100grams sugar
2 tablespoon cake flour
2 tablespoon corn flour
100ml whipping cream
Chocolate Gananche:
100ml heavy cream
4 oz - 113grams dark chocolate, chopped
Method:
Choux pastry:
Preheat oven to 400F/205C.
Sieve together your cake flour and corn flour, set aside.
In a medium pot, combine the water, butter and a pinch of salt.
On medium low heat, bring it to a boil to melt the butter.
Once butter is melted, turn off fire and quickly add in sieved flour and stir.
When the flour has absorb the butter mixture and turn gooey, turn fire on low and continue stirring until a thin paste is stick on the pot.
Remove from heat and place the flour mixture onto a bowl.
Using a rubber spatula, press it flat and wait for about 3 minutes to cool down before adding eggs.
Gradually pour beaten egg into flour mixture in 4 to 5 times, adding in between each addition until mixture is fully incorporated.
The mixture might seem curdle but feared not, as you mixed it the mixture will come together.
After the 3rd addition of the egg, you will come to see that the batter will be more smooth.
The reason of not adding the eggs at one go, is to test the consistency of the batter.
You might not need to add all the three eggs.
You can test the consistency by scooping up the batter using your spatula and gradually let it drop down.
If your batter forms a ''V'' shape beneath the spatula, that is the right consistency.
Using a pastry bag or ziploc bag inserted with a plain tip, transfer batter over to pipe out the choux puff.
On baking tray lined with baking/parchment paper, pipe out a straight line about 3 inches long leaving a 1 inch gap between the choux pastry as they will expand during baking.
Using your fingers, dip a little water and damp the end part of the pastry to avoid drying.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack.
Pastry Cream:
In a medium pot, pour milk and turn fire on low heat.
When it begins to boil, turn off fire. (You will know when the side starts forming little bubbles)
In another medium heatproof bowl, light beat egg yolks and add in sugar.
Using a balloon whisk or a normal whisk, beat the mixture together until light in colour.
Combine the cake flour and corn flour and sieve together.
Add in to egg yolk mixture and combine.
Gradually add the slightly cooled milk in 3 to 4 addition to egg yolk mixture and stir thoroughly.
(Add in slowly to avoid cooking the eggs!)
Strain the egg yolk mixture back to the pot.
Over low heat, stir quickly but slowly to let the mixture thicken. (It should take about 3 minutes)
**You have to stir very quickly as this is very important to not let the eggs be cooked or burn the bottom
When it begins to form bubble at the sides, remove from heat and transfer to a flat tray beneath a ice bath
Image source here
The reason for having a ice bath is to let the pastry cream cool faster because at a certain temperature, bacteria will start to form therefore it is very important to let the custard cream cool as soon as possible!
Once cooled, cover the pastry cream with cling wrap touching the cream.
The reason for doing this is to prevent a crust from forming.
Store it in the fridge as soon as possible as pastry cream spoils fast.
This pastry cream can be done a day in advance.
Chocolate Ganache:
Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
In a small pot, bring the heavy cream to a boil.
When it starts to boil, turn off heat and pour the cream into the bowl of chocolate.
Let it stand for 10 seconds before stirring the mixture until it becomes smooth.
Assembly:
Cut the choux pastry sideways or you can choose cut a hole on top of the choux puff for pipping in the pastry cream.
Fill your pastry cream in a pastry bag filled with a small plain tip or open star pipping tip
Pipe filling into the empty pastry shell and dip chocolate ganache on top of the pastry shell.
Place elcair on a tray and let it cool in the fridge for about 30 to 45 minutes before storing.
Notes:
Elcair is best eaten within 3 days.
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