The French Origin Story of the Delicious Eclair, and A Simple Recipe to Make It

There’s normally a lot of debate around the origins of famous desserts. But the eclair has a straightforward story. Read it and then make your own batch following the recipe below.

Eclairs are decadently puffy desserts, a combination of a choux pastry filled with a sweet cream and topped with a delicate glaze. They are moist when you bite into them, as the bite melts easily in your mouth.

The most widely agreed upon story is that they were invented around the 1800s by a French man named Marie-Antoine Careme, who worked as a pastry chef for royals. By the age of eight, he was poor and homeless, and had started working at a local kitchen to earn a living. Luckily for him, this turned out to be his passion and in time, he became a successful chef, with his name spreading far. He also opened his own shop, and worked for big names like George IV of Britain, Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Napolean.

Eclairs were first called ‘pain a la Duchesse’ and were made by rolling finger shaped pastry in almonds. Careme had the idea of eliminating the almonds, adding a custard and covering it with frosting. The eclair was thus born.

‘Eclair’ is French for ‘flash of lightning,’ and there are two possible reasons it got this name. One reason is that it got this name because it is eaten very quickly, or in a flash. The other reason might be that the glaze on top of the pastry resembles lightning.

It first appeared in print in English in a 1861 Vanity Fair article, and in 1884 it was included in the Boston Cooking School Cook Book. Since then, the eclair has been a global favorite and today, many variations and different flavor combinations exist.

Here’s a simple eclair recipe to try your hand at.

Ingredients

For the choux pastry:

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs

For the cream:

• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

For the chocolate ganache:

• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter optional

Instructions:

For the pastry:

• Preheat the oven and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a pan, combine the water, butter, sugar and salt on medium heat and keep stirring, eventually bringing it to a boil.
• Sift the flour and add it to the pan, stirring quickly to ensure it has all mixed in.
• Cook this dough, stirring continuously. It will slowly form into a ball. Keep cooking until a light crust forms on the pan base.
• Then move the dough into a mixing bowl and pulse it for a few minutes.
• Add the eggs and mix after each egg is added. The dough should be shiny and smooth and thin enough that it falls into a ribbon, but is not too runny.
• Once combined, move the batter into a pastry bag with a round or star tip. Let it sit for 1-2 hours.
• Pipe the batter into logs and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the logs are puffed up and golden brown.
• Set aside to cool.

For the creme:

• In a pan, mix the milk and vanilla extract and bring it to a boil. Once boiled, turn off the heat and set aside.
• In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with sugar, then add the flour and cornstarch.
• Then add half a cup of hot milk to the mixture and stir rapidly, essentially tempering the mixture.
• Add the tempered mixture into the milk pan and cook, stirring continuously until it comes to a boil.
• Move to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Whip the heavy whipping cream until hard peaks form, and fold it into the cream until fully combined.
• Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag with a round tip and set aside.

For the chocolate glaze:

• Heat the heavy cream until it simmers, but don't boil it.
• Pour it over the chocolate chips and let it sit for a few minutes. Then stir until smooth, while also adding butter and mixing them well.

To assemble:

• Pipe the filling into the choux pastry by making holes in it. Dip each filled pastry in the chocolate ganache.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour so it can set and serve cold.