Eclairs

• 1 cup water
  
• ½ cup lightly salted butter or margarine
  
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
  
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 4 large eggs
  

In heavy saucepan heat water, butter, sugar and salt over moderate heat until butter melts and mixture comes to a rolling boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Remove pan from heat, and while stirring liquid with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once.  Put pan back over heat then stir mixture about 1 minute until mixture leaves sides of pan and clings to spoon.  Remove from heat.  Let cool 5 minutes.   Add eggs, one at a time, beating will after each addition.  Dough will be smooth and glossy.  Heat oven to 425 F.  Pipe dough with pastry bag onto greased baking sheets in ten 4-inch long strips.  If you don’t have a pastry bag, drop about 6 teaspoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet in a straight line to form a strip 4 inches long.  Wet fingers slightly and smooth surface of dough.  Bake 20-30 minutes, until eclairs are puffed and light golden brown.  Turn oven off and remove baking sheet.  Make a horizontal slit the length of the éclair in the side of each.  Return to oven for about 10 minutes, leaving door ajar, to dry insides of eclairs.  Transfer to wire rack to cool.  When cool fill with 3 TBS of the custard cream filling.  Then spoon 2 TBS. of chocolate sauce over each.

Vanilla Custard Cream filling

• 2 cups milk
  
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  
• 2 TBS. flour
  
• 2 TBS. cornstarch
  
• 1 TBS. vanilla extract (or 2-3 split vanilla beans) 
  

Heat milk in saucepan almost to boiling point; remove from heat.  If using vanilla bean steep in milk and strain.  In bowl mix eggs and sugar with a wire whisk till thick and pale yellow.  Stir in flour and cornstarch and beat until no lumps remain.  Gradually add about 1 cup of the hot milk, stirring constantly.  Stir egg mixture into milk remaining in pan and cook over moderately low heat for 3-4 minutes, until mixture is very thick and bubbling.  Pour mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, cover with plastic and refrigerate 2-3 hours until cold.  Makes about 2 cups filling.

Chocolate Sauce for Eclairs

• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
  
• ½ cup heavy cream
  
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar- packed
  
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
  
• 3 TBS. butter or margarine 
  
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  
• dash of salt
  
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Put all ingredients in a saucepan and stir over moderate heat until butter is melted and mixture is smooth.  When just boiling, reduce heat to low and cook 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve warm.  Store sauce in glass jar in the refrigerator.  Reheat in microwave oven or stand in saucepan of hot water.  Makes 1 cup sauce.  Also good over ice cream or pound cake.