GBP
Oh, you thought I mean the little wrapped sweets that Cadbury’s do? No, while those are nice enough, but they're not what we're talking about today. I’m not talking about Jenny Eclair either. Funny though she is, I’m not sure she’d look as good served up on a paper doily atop a silver tray. Or would she?
No, no, I mean yummy, scrummy, totally bad for you, éclairs! Soft, flaky pastry, stuffed to bursting with devastating amounts of cream and lashings of sweet, beautiful chocolate. A match made in heaven in terms of culinary pairings. I'm drooling, you say!?
But how much do you actually know about these tasty treats?
These beautifully, delicious èclairs are French, of course, and made from the same Choux dough you might find used to make profiteroles (which is probably why those things taste like heaven on a plate too.)
Fillings for èclairs range from custard, to whipped cream (a firm favourite) and can be flavoured any number of ways; vanilla, coffee, chocolate. If especially lucky, you might even be able to find fruit flavoured fillings or, most bizarre of all, a chestnut purée – I know, weird right? But we've heard that this tastes unbelievably amazing. Rest assured, whatever type you find, you’ll find the taste, texture and smell of these little extravagances an experience you’ll want to repeat again and again... And then again.
I’ve never tried to make one of these myself, though there are plenty of recipes out there with difficulty levels from ‘easy’ to ‘oops, I think I just burned the kitchen down, but at least I tried’. Making some of these is certainly something I’d like to try one day, since messing about with a pastry bag to make the initial shapes is a world of fun just waiting to happen.
Imagine throwing a party and serving up a tray of these bad boys at dinner. Your guests take a bite, their eyes glaze over and they ask ‘where on earth did you find these beautiful pastries?’ You take a step back, keep the smug smile to a minimum and respond; ‘Oh those! That’s just a little something I whipped up this afternoon. Nothing but the best for my guests.’ That sounds like the perfect baking adventure, if you ask me.
Of course, if like me, you’re busy and the kitchen is a sworn enemy of yours, there are plenty of shops that stock these things, from your local bakery, right up to any supermarket.
No, no, I mean yummy, scrummy, totally bad for you, éclairs! Soft, flaky pastry, stuffed to bursting with devastating amounts of cream and lashings of sweet, beautiful chocolate. A match made in heaven in terms of culinary pairings. I'm drooling, you say!?
But how much do you actually know about these tasty treats?
These beautifully, delicious èclairs are French, of course, and made from the same Choux dough you might find used to make profiteroles (which is probably why those things taste like heaven on a plate too.)
Fillings for èclairs range from custard, to whipped cream (a firm favourite) and can be flavoured any number of ways; vanilla, coffee, chocolate. If especially lucky, you might even be able to find fruit flavoured fillings or, most bizarre of all, a chestnut purée – I know, weird right? But we've heard that this tastes unbelievably amazing. Rest assured, whatever type you find, you’ll find the taste, texture and smell of these little extravagances an experience you’ll want to repeat again and again... And then again.
I’ve never tried to make one of these myself, though there are plenty of recipes out there with difficulty levels from ‘easy’ to ‘oops, I think I just burned the kitchen down, but at least I tried’. Making some of these is certainly something I’d like to try one day, since messing about with a pastry bag to make the initial shapes is a world of fun just waiting to happen.
Imagine throwing a party and serving up a tray of these bad boys at dinner. Your guests take a bite, their eyes glaze over and they ask ‘where on earth did you find these beautiful pastries?’ You take a step back, keep the smug smile to a minimum and respond; ‘Oh those! That’s just a little something I whipped up this afternoon. Nothing but the best for my guests.’ That sounds like the perfect baking adventure, if you ask me.
Of course, if like me, you’re busy and the kitchen is a sworn enemy of yours, there are plenty of shops that stock these things, from your local bakery, right up to any supermarket.