Chocolate Eclairs with Mannabrew Crème Pâtissière

Makes 10

Difficulty: Moderate
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 45 minutes

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

• 30 ml full cream

• 30 g dark chocolate, chopped

Choux Pastry

• 75 ml MannaBrew, strongly brewed
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 45 g flour (sifted)
• 1 large egg, whisked

Crème Pâtissière

• 1 large egg yolk
• 25 g granulated sugar
• 125 ml milk (reserve 20 ml for the cornstarch slurry)
• 15 ml MannaBrew, strongly brewed and cooled
• 15 g cornstarch
• 10 g MannaBrew Mesquite Flour

• 2 ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract

INSCTRUCTIONS

1. Chocolate Glaze: Heat the cream in a small saucepan until warm, then pour it over the chopped dark chocolate. Stir until smooth and set aside at room temperature.

2. Prepare Oven & Trays: Preheat the oven to 200°C and line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

3. Choux Pastry: Combine the 75 ml of strongly brewed MannaBrew and the butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, keeping the lid on to minimize evaporation.

4. Remove from heat and immediately add the flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return to low heat for 1 minute to dry out the dough slightly.

5. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Gradually add the whisked egg in small amounts, mixing thoroughly after each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy.

6. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a French star nozzle. Pipe 10 éclairs (roughly 5 cm in length) onto the baking sheets, leaving enough space between them.

7. Bake: Place in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 180°C. Bake for 15 minutes until crisp.

8. Carefully remove the trays, poke 2 small holes in the bottom of each éclair with a skewer to release steam, then return to the oven at 160°C for another 10–15 minutes until fully baked and dry. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

9. Glaze: Once cooled, dip the top half of each éclair into the chocolate glaze and set aside.

10. Crème Pâtissière: In a bowl, whisk the egg yolk and sugar together until pale.

11. Reserve 20 ml (approx. 4 tsp) of cold milk. In a saucepan, heat the remaining milk with the 15 ml brewed MannaBrew until warm. Pour the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking.

12. Mix the cornstarch with the 20 ml reserved cold milk to form a smooth slurry. Pour it into the warm milk and egg mixture.

13. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and whisk constantly until thick (about 3–5 minutes). Whisk in the vanilla extract.

14. Remove from heat, transfer to a clean bowl, and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool completely.

15. Once cooled, whisk in the MannaBrew Mesquite Flour until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain round nozzle.

16. Assembly: Slice each glazed éclair in half horizontally. Pipe the crème pâtissière onto the bottom half, then top with the glazed upper half.

 TIP: Instead of slicing the éclairs open, you can pipe the crème pâtissière directly into the steam holes on the bottom for a hidden filling.