Entertaining with Beth

Preheat oven to 400F (200C) degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix together the salt, sugar and flour and Set aside.
Place water and butter in a pan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and with a wooden spoon stir in your flour mixture, until it turns into a ball and pulls away from the sides. Allow to cool slightly and then make a flat indentation in the dough ball and gradually stir in the 4 beaten eggs, it will be hard to combine and slimy at first but not to worry keep stirring, changing to a whisk if needed, and it will come together into a sticky paste. Allow to cool slightly.

Transfer the dough into a pastry bag, fitted with a ½ inch round tip. Pipe out 1 4- inch line Form into place with a wet spoon or wet fingers. As dough cools it's less sticky and easier to handle! You should get 10-12 eclairs

Bake 400F/(200 C) 15 mins. DO NOT OPEN DOOR. Then reduce oven to 350F (176 C) and bake for another 20-25 mins.
Once golden brown and puffed, turn oven off, open door. Make small incisions (½ inch) in the side of each eclair to release the steam. Keep door propped open for 10 minutes.

TO MAKE PASTRY CREAM:

In a heat safe bowl add the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch, whisk until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
Then in a large saucepan heat milk, vanilla paste and pod until simmering. Strain out the bean. Allow to cool slightly. Add the warm milk slowly to the egg mixture whisking all the while until combined. Wash out the saucepan.

Pour egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve back into the clean saucepan. Heat custard on medium high until boiling, whisking all the while until thickened. Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly. Add the butter, whisk until smooth. Transfer to a shallow container, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

TO FILL SHELLS:

Pierce bottom of éclairs with ¼” pastry tip, screwing the tip into the éclair to form a hole. Make 2-3 holes, equidistant.

Transfer pastry cream to a pastry bag fitted with the same tip and fill each hole with the cream until éclair feels full and heavy.

TO MAKE GLAZE:

In a double boiler add the heavy cream and the chocolate chips and set heat on medium-high. Whisk chips and cream together until a smooth ganache forms.

Transfer double-boiler to a work surface to keep the chocolate in liquid form.

Place each éclair topside down in the chocolate about ⅓ of the way to coat the tops with chocolate, remove éclair and place on cooling rack to allow chocolate to set.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.