Ingredients

• For choux pastry (pie-dough): 150 ml / 1.5 pint / 2/3 cup - water
• 60 g / 2 oz / 1.5 cups - butter, cut into small pieces
• 90 g / 3 oz / 1.5 cups - strong plain (all purpose) flour, sieved (strained)
• 2 - eggs
• For pastry cream: 2 - eggs, lightly beaten
• 50 g / 1.5 oz / 4 tbsp - caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 tbsp - corn flour (corn starch)
• 300 ml / 1.5 pint / 1.5 cups - milk
• 1.5 tsp - vanilla flavoring (extract)
• For icing: 25 g / 1 oz / 2 tbsp - butter
• 1 tbsp - milk
• 1 tbsp - cocoa powder
• 100 g / 3.5 oz / 1.5 cups - icing (confectioners) sugar
• a little white chocolate, melted

How to Make Chocolate Eclairs

• Lightly grease a baking tray (cookie sheet).
• Place water in a saucepan. Add the butter and heat gently until the butter melts. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the flour at one go, beating well until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.
• Leave to cool slightly, then gradually beat the eggs to form a smooth, glossy mixture.
• Spoon into a large piping bag fitted with a 1 cm / 1.5 inch plain nozzle (tip).
• Sprinkle the tray (sheet) with a little water.
• Pipe eclairs 7.5 cm / 3 inches long, spaced well apart.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C (gas mark 6) for 30-35 minutes or until crisp and golden.
• Make a small slit in each eclair to let the steam escape; cool on a rack.
• To make the pastry cream, whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy, then fold in the corn flour (corn starch).
• Heat the milk until almost boiling and pour onto the eggs, whisking.
• Transfer to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring until thick. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flavouring (extract).
• Cover with baking parchment and cool.
• To make the icing, melt the butter with the milk in a pan, remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa and sugar.
• Split the eclairs lengthways and pipe in the pastry cream.
• Spread the icing over the white chocolate, swirl in and leave to set.