The French traditionally fill their éclairs with pastry cream; the British prefer whipped cream. Our recipe borrows from both, for a filling that is at once rich and light.

　　

Ingredients

makes 32

　　Pâte à Choux (page 358)

　　6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

　　2 1/4 cups heavy cream

　　1 tablespoon light corn syrup

　　Pastry Cream (page 392)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425°F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats, such as Silpats. With a ruler and a pencil, mark lines about 3 1/2 inches long on the parchment, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart (you should be able to fit 16 lines on each sheet). Turn parchment over, marked sides down. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco #806) with Pâte à Choux; pipe along the lines on the prepared baking sheets. Gently smooth tops with a moistened fingertip to ensure even rising.

　　

Step 2

Bake for 10 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until pastries are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Transfer pastries and parchment to a wire rack to cool completely.

　　

Step 3

Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat 3/4 cup cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbles begin to appear around the edges, about 5 minutes; pour mixture over chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Let cool, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

　　

Step 4

To fill the pastries, insert a wooden skewer into one end of each shell. (You can also use a small pastry tip, such as the one you will use for filling, to create the hole.)

　　

Step 5

In a medium bowl, stir the Pastry Cream to soften. In another bowl, whip the remaining 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the Pastry Cream in two batches to lighten. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip (such as an Ateco #802). Insert the tip into the opening of each pastry, and pipe to fill with the whipped Pastry Cream.

　　

Step 6

Dip the top of each Éclair into the chocolate glaze; let excess drip off, and place, coated side up, on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate Éclairs in a single layer in an airtight container until glaze is set, about 10 minutes or up to 1 day.

　　

Eclair how-to

Step 7

Pâte à Choux is piped onto marked lines on parchment-lined baking sheets.

　　

Step 8

Once baked, the cream filling is piped into each Éclair; the tops are then dipped in chocolate glaze.

　　Reprinted with permission from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart. © 2005 Clarkson Potter