Eclairs with mirrored icing and cream

1. Stage

To make the custard dough, mix water with sugar, salt and diced butter, bring to a boil.

2. Stage

Remove the mixture from the fire and add all the sifted flour. Stir thoroughly so that no dry flour particles remain. The dough should have this consistency:

3. Stage

Then return the ladle with the dough to a low heat and let it dry for a few minutes. The dough should roll into a ball, and a small crust should form on the bottom. In this case the dough will absorb more eggs and will rise better.

4. Stage

For the custard batter, mix the eggs with a whisk until smooth and strain through a sieve.

5. Stage

Put the hot dough into the mixer bowl, add the eggs to the hot dough a little at a time, kneading the dough until smooth, and only then add the next portion of eggs. The finished dough should be completely smooth and shiny.

6. Stage

Place the éclairs with a piping bag on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. Brush the éclairs with the beaten egg and a pinch of salt and whisked together. Heat the oven to 230 C, put the tray on, after 5 minutes reduce the temperature to 180 C, bake until golden. Do not open the oven! Eclairs are better to overbake than they will be soggy inside!!!

7. Stage

To make the cream I use fine sugar. (If you use regular sugar, increase the amount a little)

8. Stage

Mix 100 ml cream with the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla sugar until smooth. Bring 100 ml of cream to the boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, gently fold the above mixture into the boiling cream, stirring constantly, and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, and cool.

9. Stage

Lightly beat the softened butter. Add the butter a spoonful at a time to the chilled cream, continuing to whisk. Fill the cooled eclairs with the cream using a piping bag, making a piercing.

10. Stage

Soak the gelatin in cold water. Boil the sugar syrup until a soft ball is tested. In parallel, slowly heat the cream with the glucose, add the syrup to the heated cream, add the cocoa while stirring constantly and bring to a boil. Add the pre-cooked gelatin to the hot glaze, stir, strain. Cover the eclairs with the warm glaze.