13.12.13

Milk Chocolate and Jasmine Tea Eclairs


It's the rainy season in Jakarta. With it so dark and stormy outside, I'd resolved to work from home this day. The dreaded Friday traffic jams, coupled with rain and flooding is a recipe for a sure case of car-cabin fever. But enough talk about those gloomy things, let's talk about pastry.


Well, the eclair is still one of my favorites. The "cream-puff" oftentimes is one's first exposure to the wonderful world of pastry. To me it brings back childhood joys of savoring the crispy, buttery shell and sweet creamy center of "kue sus" (Indonesian-style cream-puff) my grandma used to make. During my stay in Paris, a trip to the neighborhood boulangerie for the daily baguette would more often than not include a sneaky purchase of dark chocolate eclairs I'd bite into, as soon as I step out of the shop.



They're so simple, nostalgic, classic and beautiful. But so hard to get just right! The shell has to be crispy with just the right amount of salt to offset the sweet pastry cream. The cream has to be thick and gooey with a balanced milky richness. Eclairs are usually finished with a generous layer of fondant, but the recipe I'm going to share with you today omits this and  puts in its place a "craquelin" crunchy crust. The "craquelin" popularized by Philippe Conticcini of Patisserie des Reves adds a gorgeous crunchy texture and "umami" element to these pastries. Made with flavorful sugar such as palm or muscovado sugar will make these eclairs dangerously addictive. Proceed to the recipe with caution, dear friends. You have been warned!

x Tal


Milk Chocolate and Jasmine Tea Eclairs
Makes 12

Craquelin
55 g butter - room temperature
60 g white sugar
20 g palm sugar
80 g all-purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar with paddle attachment until soft but not too creamy
Add in flour and cinnamon powder and mix only until incorporated. 
Roll out between two sheets of baking paper to a thickness of 2 mm.
Freeze well.
Using a large knife, cut out rectangles and place onto the eclairs before baking

Choux Pastry
90 ml full-cream milk
90 ml water
3 g sugar
70 g butter
3 g salt
90 g bread flour
3 large eggs

Combine water, milk, salt and sugar in a saucepan
Add cubed butter and bring to vigorous boil 
Off heat, quickly add the flour in one go and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate
Return saucepan to low heat and keep stirring to draw out moisture until the dough unsticks easily from the spatula and the sides of the pan
Place dough into a clean bowl, mix in the eggs 1 at a time with a wooden spoon (this step can also be done on a stand mixer with a paddle attachment).
Using a 12mm piping tip, pipe logs onto a baking sheet
Place a rectangle of frozen "craquelin" on top.
Bake at 175 degrees C for 15-20 minutes until golden, and cool completely on a rack.

Milk Chocolate and Jasmine Tea Pastry Cream
350 ml full cream milk
150 ml whipping cream
4 egg yolks
40 g sugar
45 g cornstarch
1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence
2 tsp jasmine tea leaves
1/2 tsp jasmine extract
- - - 
150 g milk chocolate - cut into chunks

On medium heat, warm up milk and cream in a saucepan to a simmer
Add in the jasmine tea leaves, take off heat and infuse for 10 minutes
Strain out the tea, place back on the element and bring to a simmer once more
Using a whisk, whisk egg yolks and the sugar, then add custard powder and vanilla
Temper the egg mixture with half of the simmering milk to loosen, and pour the batter back into the saucepan
Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil and keep whisking for 2 minutes until dense
Move into a clean bowl, whisk in milk chocolate chunks until melted and incorporated
Cover with plastic wrap (in contact) so skin will not form, cool in fridge
Place into a piping bag with a small star tip

Montage
Baked and cooled eclairs
Chocolate and jasmine pastry cream
Fresh organic jasmine flowers and chocolate for decoration

Pierce three holes underneath the choux pastries 
Fill choux pastries generously with a small pastry tip
Decorate with chocolates and jasmine flowers



25 comments:

  1. Sooo classy!!! As usual!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jasmine tea leaves is like teh sariwangi or something like that?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Talita..may I know the amount of cinnamon powder u put in the craquelin..and the custard powder as well..and when should I put in the cornstarch for the pastry cream. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hy Talita,what's mean full cream milk?I'm not english speaker so i cant find the right translate.Thank you! :) Oh..and you are great!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This opened up a whole new world of not only cooking but also kitchen knife use. This was huge in helping people discover "different" kinds of kitchen knives. Me Knives

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think this is one of the most significant information for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things, Best Glass Teapot with Infuser

    ReplyDelete
  9. This substance is composed exceptionally well. Your utilization of arranging while mentioning your focuses makes your objective facts clear and straightforward. Much obliged to you. kitchentoolsclub

    ReplyDelete
  10. The written piece is truly fruitful for me personally; continue posting these types of articles.
    https://goodmenproject.com/the-good-life/lifestyle-the-good-life/how-find-best-countertop-microwave-your-kitchen/

    ReplyDelete
  11. Influential is all that is in this blog.
    organic ghee

    ReplyDelete
  12. I admire this article for the well-researched content and excellent wording. I got so involved in this material that I couldn’t stop reading. I am impressed with your work and skill. Thank you so much. red tea

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi there, I discovered your blog per Google bit searching for such kinda educational advise moreover your inform beholds very remarkable for me. OrganicDonkey Milk cosmetics

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you very much for this useful article. I like it. buy 100 instagram likes with paypal

    ReplyDelete
  15. Our goal is to help local businesses strive to maintain the convenience and choice of online supermarket shopping, bringing local stores into the 21st century. Supermarket Delivery

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yes i am totally agreed with this article and i just want say that this article is very nice and very informative article.I will make sure to be reading your blog more. You made a good point but I can't help but wonder, what about the other side? !!!!!!Thanks winecooler

    ReplyDelete
  17. Often knife sharpeners for sharpening knives and knife honing for maintaining knives are misunderstood. Honing a knife is not the same as sharpening a knife. yoyoknives

    ReplyDelete
  18. And that is what we can right here explore; how tea ingesting traditions vary in a number of the pinnacle tea ingesting areas of the global.Total Life Changes

    ReplyDelete
  19. This blog is so nice to me. I will keep on coming here again and again. Visit my link as well..Same day COVID 19 Test Near me

    ReplyDelete
  20. If you are looking for more information about flat rate locksmith Las Vegas check that right away. Best Air Fryers

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is a great inspiring article.I am pretty much pleased with your good work.You put really very helpful information. Keep it up. Keep blogging. Looking to reading your next post. Check it out

    ReplyDelete
  22. It is very good, but look at the information at this address. Best Innsky Air Fryers

    ReplyDelete
  23. Here you will learn what is important, it gives you a link to an interesting web page: Best Ultrean Air Fryer

    ReplyDelete
  24. Suzuki Suspension Parts tend to wear out with time. But don't wait for complete damage. Restore ride quality and smoothen all ride bumps with our spare parts.

    Genuine and robust Suzuki Gear Parts for all Suzuki cars . Check out our vast list of Suzuki Spare Parts and aftermarket replacement parts here at BP Auto Spares India.

    Get the smooth driving feel of your Suzuki car as when it was new. Make every turn smooth with BP Auto Spares India tried and trusted Suzuki Steering Parts.

    Suzuki Propeller Shaft Parts: When your Suzuki car’s propeller shaft fails, it can detriment the propulsion function capacity. So, be on the alert for steel-to-steel contact, and get your spares always ready.

    Genuine and robust Suzuki Various Pipes and Hoses for all Suzuki cars . Check out our vast list of Suzuki Spare Parts and aftermarket replacement parts here at BP Auto Spares India.

    Genuine and robust Suzuki Other Parts for all Suzuki cars . Check out our vast list of Suzuki Spare Parts and aftermarket replacement parts here at BP Auto Spares India.

    Complete Online Suzuki Parts Catalog

    ReplyDelete
  25. To help you decide, our checklist sets out what to look for when choosing a new kettle. how to use tea kettles

    ReplyDelete