Beat eggs
lightly with a handmixer at speed 1 for a few minutes. Place water and
butter in a pan and melt over low heat till butter melts completely. Add
in flour all at once. Flour should be sifted together with fine salt. Turn
off heat. Using handmixer at speed 1, beat lightly till a dough is formed.
Cook dough on low flame for 1-2 minutes stirring all the time. Add beaten
eggs gradually at least four times and beat in with a wooden ladle. Final
mixture should look creamy and thick.
Butter lightly
and dusk an eclair tray with flour. Place mixture in a piping bag with a
large start-shaped nozzle. Pipe on tray marking as shown. Bake in a hot
oven at 200 deg C for 10 minutes then lower heat to 180 deg C and bake for
15 minutes. Remove eclairs from oven. Split open to release the steam and
cool.
Note : Once the
puffs are baked and still warm, slit open to release steam, if not puff
will be soggy. Do not open oven for at least the first 20 minutes, or the
puffs will not hold their shape.
Eclairs are
made from choux pastry which is a cooked pastry. They are very light and
go well with a vanilla pastry cream or fresh cream. Combine both, then
drizzle your eclairs with melted chocolate, top with pistachio nuts, and
voila! A mouthwatering tea offering.
