In the sauna that now is downtown New Orleans, our hottest weekend thus far of 2018, Tales of the Cocktail has a tall task of bringing an elegant chill.
Disaronno and The Tia Maria Coffee Project -both Italian liqueurs- hosted a two day party with classes on how to make coffee liqueur cocktails, like the Espresso Martini, the Flat White Russian and the Tia Mint Americano. KP became a skilled barista mixologist.
Yes, that is caramel popcorn atop a coffee frappe. Fancy fancy. I suggest, for the home mixologist, something simple and refreshing, like the Americano.
Tia Mint Americano
25 mL Tia Maria (a liqueur which is Jamaican rum, Madagascar vanilla and coffee)
Double shot espresso
10 mL simple syrup
30 mL sparkling water
Fresh Mint Leaves
Sucre in the French Quarter hosted the classes and served killer black cherry macaroons and eclairs bedazzled with edible gold sparkle.
I have been working to perfect the choux paste recipe for puff pastry for the last few years and have been down-hearted in multiple failed attempts. There are so many turns at which a baker can go wrong with puff pastry. I was delighted this weekend, inspired by France’s World Cup win, to go for my own trophy-worthy batch. Voila. There were tears at the first finished product.
Classic Éclair
Adapted from Baking Illustrated
For the Pastry Cream:
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch salt
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Pâte à Choux:
2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
2 tablespoons whole milk
6 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
For the Chocolate Glaze:
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
Edible gold powder, for sprinkling the finished product, if desired
DIRECTIONS:
Might as well start with the Pastry Cream: Heat the half-and-half, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 20 seconds. When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Pâte à Choux (this is the hard part)
Beat the eggs and egg white in a measuring cup or small bowl; you should have 1/2 cup (discard the excess). Set aside.
Bring the butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice. When the mixture reaches a full boil (the butter should be fully melted), immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until combined and the mixture clears the sides of the pan. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, using a smearing motion, until the mixture is slightly shiny, looks like wet sand, and tiny beads of fat appear on the bottom of the saucepan, about 3 minutes (the paste should register 175 to 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).
(THIS PART IS KEY) Immediately transfer the mixture to a food processor and process with the feed tube open for 10 seconds to cool slightly. With the machine running, gradually add the eggs in a steady stream. When all the eggs have been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then process for 30 seconds until a smooth, thick, sticky paste forms. (If not using immediately in one of the following recipes, transfer the paste to a medium bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap that has been sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking spray directly on the surface, and store at room temperature for up to 2 hours.)
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large (18 by 12-inch) baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper; set the pan aside.
Fold down the top 3 or 4 inches of a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip to form a cuff. Hold the bag open with one hand in the cuff and fill the bag with the paste. Unfold the cuff, lay the bag on the work surface, and, using your hands or a bench scraper, push the paste toward the tip of the pastry bag.
For Eclairs: Twist the top of the bag and pipe the paste into eight 5 by 1-inch strips, spaced about 1 inch apart. Use the back of a teaspoon dipped in a bowl of cold water to even out the shape and smooth the surface of the piped strips.
Bake 15 minutes (do not open the oven door!!! IF YOU DO, THEY WILL COLLAPSE!), then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown and fairly firm (the puffs and éclairs should not be soft and squishy), 10-11 minutes longer. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. With a paring knife, cut a 3/4-inch slit into the side of each puff and on the top of each éclair to release steam; return the puffs to the oven, turn off the oven, and prop the oven door open with the handle of a wooden spoon. Dry the puffs and éclairs in the turned-off oven until the centers are just moist (not wet) and the puffs and éclairs are crisp, about 45 minutes. Transfer the puffs and/or éclairs to a wire rack to cool completely. (The cooled puffs and éclairs can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours or frozen in a zipper-lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. Before serving, crisp room-temperature puffs in a 300-degree oven 5 to 8 minutes; crisp frozen puffs/éclairs 8 to 10 minutes.)
When ready to serve, there are many techniques you can learn in Eclairs by Christophe Adam.
I chose to dip the eclairs in the chocolate glaze, which you make by just putting the half and half and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and heat until chocolate melts a bit. Then you whisk in the powdered sugar and dip the eclairs while still warm.
For the cream filling, some people simply cut the eclair in half like a hotdog bun and fill in the middle with cream where the dog would be. I like my eclair to be fully intact, no laparotomy scar, rather, more of laparoscopy approach. For this technique, which I learned in Adam’s book, using a piping nozzle a little bigger than the one you will use to fill, “drill” a couple discrete holes in the bottom of each eclair and fill with a piping bag loaded with your cream. Sneaky sneaky.
This is the most French outfit I own. Very grateful to have learned the art of the eclair, a failure that has been flagging my conscience for years. I feel like I am ready for the Great British Baking Show.
