Chocolate Eclaires

~ JP ~

Take it to a HNL on Valentine’s Day!

When I was young, it was understood that if you wanted to meet girls you should learn how to play guitar. John Mellencamp said so.

But as I matured (hold your applause) I learned that impressing women was a whole ‘nother matter. Women, it turns out, like men who can cook.

Well, my guitar wasn’t much use in the kitchen. So, I borrowed this recipe for Chocolate Eclairs from Katy (a killer cook) and made them for my date. She was so impressed that she married me. And, although I haven’t made them since. My “First Wife” and I have been married for 20 years, with two ugly kids. So, I thought I’d make them again for Valentine’s day. Try them at your own risk.

PS. Relationships are not for the humor-impaired.

Easy Chocolate Eclairs

Makes 6-8

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
1 cup flour with 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
Vanilla pudding – 1 package (some people make the filling. I’m a guy; I use pudding.)
2 cups milk (for pudding)
Semi sweet chocolate – 4 oz
1/2 cup heavy cream (mixes with melting chocolate)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

Bring water to a boil and add butter
Add flour and vanilla, and stir vigorously – until its a gooey ball

Remove from heat and cool slightly (you don’t want the eggs to cook)

Beat in eggs with wire wisk, one at a time (wisk each egg until smooth before adding the next egg)

Form into six oblong baguettes on greased baking sheet.

They may seem a little more like pancake batter than bread dough, but they puff up while baking. They’re like popovers and may deflate again too.

Get them into the oven fairly quickly
Bake at 450 for 15 minutes – DO NOT OPEN OVEN.

Then at 325 for up to 25 minutes (they might be browned in 15, as with our oven)

• While they’re in the oven, make the pudding (add milk and whisk) and refrigerate
Remove and place on a cooling rack

• While cooling, melt the chocolate in a double boiler with the heavy cream. I don’t have a double boiler so just boil water in a large pot, put the mixture in a smaller one, and set it inside. Stir it with a rubber scraper till smooth

Once cooled, slice the tops off and put pudding inside – you can hollow them out, or use an injector, but nobody complains if you don’t.

Spread chocolate on the tops

Chill them in the fridge for 20 minutes – don’t rush here, they taste better chilled.

If you like, put whipped cream on top, and sprinkle on a little chocolate powder, or my favorite, some ground nutmeg.