Eclairs

When I was a kid, every Memorial Day and Labor Day, Mom made eclairs -- first to bring to the barbecue at Grandma's and Grandpa's house, and then, after Grandma and Grandpa moved in with us, as the dessert after Grandpa ran the barbecue in our backyard. 

Eclairs were such a special treat. They seemed so fancy. In reality, they are not too difficult to make, but they do take some time. There are three parts: puff, filling, and frosting. Mom always made them the same way: puff, vanilla pudding filling, and chocolate frosting.

The puff is the base. They are so tasty on their own that you could just eat the puffs without filling or frosting. Despite my best efforts, Mom would make me wait until she was ready to serve the eclairs, and not let me eat the puffs right out of the oven.

You can use any filling such as whipped cream, chocolate pudding, or any other flavor, even a savory filling. But Mom's eclairs are always made with vanilla pudding filling. Now, if you want to be more professional, you could use a pastry bag to pipe in the filling. Or, just like Mom, just cut open the puffs and spoon in the pudding. The key to the filling is to make it thick -- use less milk than the pudding recipe calls for. Dream Whip is powdered whipped cream that can be found in the grocery aisle near the pudding and it makes the filling richer. When we made eclairs, Mom alway let me lick the bowl and the beaters after we were done filling the eclairs. Needless to say, I always helped Mom with the eclairs.

The chocolate frosting is almost a fudge type frosting. If you are like my sister, Megan, and you do not like frosting, you can just leave it off. But I love this chocolate frosting, so I always use it. To me, it makes the eclairs complete.

After the eclairs were made, Mom put them in the fridge. I always prefer to eat them when they are cold, straight out of the fridge. Eclairs never lasted long in the fridge because everyone liked them.

Eclairs (yields about 20-25 small eclairs)

Puffs

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3/4 cup milk or water

3/4 flour

3 eggs

optional: 1 egg for egg wash 

Pudding Filling

1 package vanilla filling

1 envelope Dream Whip

1 to 1.5 cup milk

Chocolate Frosting

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

dash of salt

3 Tbsp. milk

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1. 5 cup confectioner's sugar

On stovetop, heat milk and butter over medium-high and bring just to boil. Turn heat to low, add all flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough will pull together. Cook for a few minutes, stirring the ball of dough around, so it dries out. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add eggs one at a time and incorporate completely. After all the eggs are added, mix until dough is a paste consistency. Spoon dough onto parchment lined baking sheets. Make egg wash by beating one egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush egg wash onto puffs. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 to 30 more minutes. Watch closely to prevent over-baking. Turn off heat on the oven, open the oven door a few inches and let the puffs dry out for about 30 minutes. Allow the puffs to cool completely.

To make the pudding filling, use a mixer to beat the vanilla pudding mix, dream whip, and milk. The pudding filling should be firm. Refrigerate the pudding until ready to fill. Then cut each puff in half. Fill each with about a spoonful of filling in each and replace the top half.

To make the chocolate frosting, melt the butter and chocolate on low in a sauce pan on the stove top.  Then add the salt, milk and sugar. Stir to make a smooth frosting. The frosting will set quickly, so frost quickly. If needed, return the frosting to the stove top to loosen it up enough so it can be spread.

Eclairs can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, if they last that long.