Mocha Eclairs

Ingredients

• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp Amoretti® Cappuccino-Tiramisu Compound
• 1 cup heavy cream

• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 cup flour, sifted
• 4-5 eggs, room temperature

• ½ cup Amoretti® Espresso Mocha Ganache
• coffee beans, optional
• melted white chocolate, optional

• plastic-lined half sheet pan
• large pastry bag fitted with large round tip (Ateco #206)
• large pastry bag fitted with small round tip

Directions

1. Have a small sheet pan lined with plastic wrap ready.
2. In a saucepan whisk cold milk, cornstarch, and sugar making sure there are no lumps.
3. Add egg yolks and whisk again, then add the butter.
4. Place the saucepan over medium to low heat, whisk constantly until mixture begins to boil. If chunks begin to form, remove from the heat and stir vigorously until smooth.
5. Return to the heat and whisking constantly, cook on medium heat while the mixture boils, for 4 minutes.
6. Pour pastry cream onto the plastic-lined sheet pan and cover with plastic, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the pastry cream. This will prevent a skin forming.
7. Place in freezer for 10 minutes, just to begin cooling, and then move to refrigerator. This will keep the items in the refrigerator from warming too much while the pastry cream cools.
8. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

9. Preheat the oven to 450℉.
10. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat. Place a large round (we used #206 Ateco) tip into a large pastry bag and set aside.
11. In a small saucepan combine the milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat.
12. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the flour, stir into the mixture for 30-60 seconds.
13. Return the saucepan to medium heat and stir until the flour is combined, pushing the mixture up against the sides of the saucepan.
14. Continue stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is very smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the pan.
15. Scoop the mixture into a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on low, adding the eggs one at a time, keeping the last egg aside. You may not need the last egg, so wait until the mixture is completely combined and watch for it to fall slowly when the mixer stops.
16. It should be shiny and smooth. If it does not fall slowly when the mixer stops, whisk the last egg completely and add just a small amount, then combine thoroughly.
17. Two ways test the dough: 1. Run a finger across it and if the sides do not cave in, the dough is ready. 2. Dip a spatula into the dough and when you lift it the dough should hang from the spatula in a “v” shape. Humidity will play a part in this dough, so that is why you may or may not need the 5th egg. The number of eggs can vary each time you make the dough.
18. Place the mixture into the prepared piping bag.
19. Pipe your eclairs onto the parchment, holding the tip above the parchment and letting the mixture fall onto the parchment, rather than dragging the tip down as you pipe. This will give you more control.
20. Stop pushing on the piping bag just before you come to the bottom of the first eclair and gently push down to create a small dent, or gently move your tip back onto the top of the piped éclair. You don’t want a “tail” at the end of the éclair. If there is one, just gently push it in with a wet finger or small spatula.
21. Continue piping eclairs, keeping about an inch between each.
22. Bake for 8 minutes at 450℉.
23. Then lower the oven temperature to 400℉ and bake another 15 minutes.
24. Let cool completely before filling.

25. Before filling the eclairs, beat the chilled pastry cream with Cappuccino-Tiramisu Compound until smooth.
26. Whip the heavy cream to a medium peak and fold it into the pastry cream.
27. Transfer Pastry Cream to a large piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
28. With a small round tip, make a hole in the bottom of the eclair.
29. Pipe the flavored pastry cream into the éclair until the pastry cream begins to come out the bottom of the hole. Wipe off any extra filling and place the eclair onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
30. When all the eclairs are filled, melt Espresso Mocha Ganache in a wide bowl in the microwave for just a few seconds until it is soft. Mix with a spatula until it is smooth enough to dip the eclairs.
31. Holding onto the filled eclair, dip the top of it into the ganache and set it back onto the parchment paper to set. Repeat with remaining eclairs.
32. Decorate the tops by striping with white chocolate, or place a coffee bean onto the top, or just leave them plain.

• Eclairs are best eaten within an hour or two of filling, so don’t fill them too far in advance of serving or they may be soggy.
• Unfilled eclairs can be frozen in an air-tight container for 2-3 weeks. If frozen, just warm them in the oven for a few minutes to “crisp” them before filling.