Chocolate Eclair

When I first moved to Vancouver I lived in an apartment on Main Street above a second hand store, a way too hip coffee shop, and a kinda dirty little bakery.  The bakery made eclairs that were like nothing I had ever tasted.   They only made a few a day and they'd usually be sold out by 9 in the morning.   The unspoken competition between me, my friendly cross-dressing neighbor, and a few other weirdos in the building to buy one and eat it was fierce.  Until the day the bakery shut down.  Since that day I've been searching for those eclairs.  It's been 10 years and never has anything come close.  Until now. 

The cream-puff pastry is from "Mad Hungry" by Lucinda Scala Quinn.  Recipe below.  But the filling is just real whipped cream.  And the chocolate is just melted chocolate chips.  I tried Lucindas pastry cream recipe but it was difficult and really wasn't the taste or consistency I've been searching for.  


Cream-Puff Pastry

1 Cup Flour
1/4 t. salt
1 Cup Water
8 T. Unsalted Butter Cut Into Small Pieces
5 Large eggs-Room Temperature

1. Preheat to 400.  Prepare a pastry bag with 1/2 inch tip.
2. In small bowl, whisk together flour and salt.  Place water and butter in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add the flour mixture and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for several seconds, until the dough is smooth, pulls away from the sides of pan, and begins to form a ball.  Remove from heat.  Cool the dough for a couple mins.  Beat in eggs one at a time, until smooth and glossy.
3. Place dough in pastry bag.  grease baking sheet.  Pipe desired shape. 3 to 4 inch oblong shapes.  Bake for 10 minutes then turn heat up to 425 and bake for 15 mins total or until puffed up, golden brown, and firm to touch.  Cool on wire rack.