Sunday 17 August 2008

eclair desaster...


this is a picture of yesterday's attempt to make chocolate eclairs... i used duck eggs, which i think might have been the problem. i tried all kinds of temperature time combinations, but the centre just wouldn't cook! it was gloopy, eggy, shiny, wet, nearly custardy. what a waste of a saturday afternoon! the reason i tried making them was that the weather was awful, torrential rainfall! and i thought i'd feel much chirpier if i could have the eclairs i fancied without leaving the house!

you'd think i'd have gotten into the car today and bought some, but no, i'm attempting them again. with medium chicken eggs. the dough looks lighter this time, less oily, wish me luck!!

the recipe i'm using is a german 'windbeutel' recipe,

60g butter
1/4 l water
pinch of salt
150g flour
1 tea spoon of baking powder
4 eggs.

i'm going to do some more experimenting.

using the fan oven i'm starting with 20min 200 degrees, (eclair shapes, not german sized profiteroles or mini profiterols) i'll try all sorts of combinations again, from different other recipes, and hope that at the end of it i'll get at least 2 eclairs for dessert tonight!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

fan - 20 min - 200degC: perfect on the outside, not cooked in the centre

fan - 30 min - 200degC: a little darker on the outside, not cooked in the centre

Anonymous said...

fan - 20 min - 220 degC, poke hole and finish off in cooler oven (top oven in my case) for 5 min: better but still a bit wet on the inside

Anonymous said...

fan - 25 min - 220 degC, poke hole and finish off in 100 degC oven (top oven in my case) for 10 min: nearly good, still a little moist

fan - 30 min - 210 degC, poke hole and finish off in 100 degC oven for 20 min: still moist! i give up!

anyone got a foolproof recipe for me? profiteroles, choux buns, eclairs? this one and me obviously don't get on... i'm not going to photograph today's attempts, it's just too sad.

Jo said...

Oh dear. I have a friend who might have one, but she's away for a week - look online, there's so much stuff.

Failing that, Superquinn do GORGEOUS ones, cheap, and the best I've had in Ireland. And the cream donuts too... mmm...