A New Year’s recipe: Chocolate & Rose Éclairs

Clear the kitchen, this one’s a little complicated! On St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s deathbed, it’s said she longed for a chocolate éclair. This recipe uses a creamy pastry cream that would be easy for the dying soon-to-be saint to eat. It will be topped with a thick chocolate glaze to satiate her sweet tooth.

The éclair will be decorated with edible rose petals because of her love of roses. This recipe is a perfect finish to the Jan. 1 end of Christmas Octave because Jan. 2 is St. Thérèse’s birthday! Other suggested dates include May 17, her canonization day, and Oct. 1, her feast day.

– Brother Andrew Corriente is a Capuchin Franciscan friar in formation for the priesthood. He is the winner of the fifth season of ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition.”

Tap here for a step-by-step guide to this recipe

Preparation and Ingredients

Choux Pastry (Cream Puff Dough)
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line baking tray with parchment paper. Draw 13 5’’ long lines spacing them about 2’’ apart. Flip the parchment over so that the markings are underneath but still visible. Fit a piping bag with a 1’’ coupler or cut a 1’’ hole in a piping bag. Place bag in a tall glass, folding ¼ - ½ of the bag over the glass itself; this’ll help you fill the bag with the dough better.

135 grams whole milk
135 grams water
120 grams unsalted butter (cut into 1/2’’ cubes) *cold is fine
3/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
     - Bring to a boil in saucepan on high heat
155 grams bread flour

Once boiling reduce heat to low and add all the flour. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture vigorously for two minutes until crust forms at the bottom of pan. Transfer to a bowl in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for one minute
225 grams eggs (4-5 eggs) *It’s crucial to get the right amount of eggs in weight; this part can ruin the whole pastry.

Whisk eggs in a separate bowl then slowly pour it into mixer that’s running on medium speed. Beat until it’s completely mixed together. Scrape the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds to ensure it’s all mixed. When you lift your spatula a “V” shape should form. Fill the pastry bag with the dough (best to fill the bag only ½ to 2/3 so it’s easier to control). Lift the bag up and gently shake it to encourage the batter to reach down to the tip. Twist the top of the bag to seal the bag). Use the line markings to pipe your éclairs.
Bake at 425°F for 10 mins then 375°F for 25 mins (Tip: Do not open the oven no matter how tempting, this will cause your pastry to collapse!) When done, pierce two holes at the bottom with a small paring knife. Bake again at 375°F for 7-10 mins to crisp the éclair.

Ganache Topping
320 grams finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (Use a bittersweet chocolate that you love; something that is not too sweet, and you can have more of)
320 grams heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a large bowl. Then, put heavy cream in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Wait until the mixture forms bubbles all over. Remove from the heat and immediately pour it on top of the chocolate. Tap the bowl gently against the surface and let sit for one minute. Using a flexible spatula, stir the mixture until it’s a thick, glossy chocolate mixture.

Chocolate “Mousse”
250 grams ganache
Set aside 250 grams of the made ganache in a separate bowl.
500 grams heavy cream
2 tbs sugar
¼ tsp fine sea salt

Whip this in a stand mixer until it forms stiff peaks. When you lift the whisk up, you should see a peak of cream form at the end. The peak should remain standing up stiff when you flip the whisk upside down. Add 1/3 of the heavy cream into the ganache and using a flexible spatula, mix until most of the cream is incorporated. Add another 1/3 and this time fold the cream in; gently scoop the mixture from the side toward the middle bottom then lift up folding that mixture onto the top. Do this until there are no more white streaks of cream. Fold in the last 1/3 mixture. Do this until there are no more white streaks of cream.

Assembly
Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the éclairs in half lengthwise, making sure to keep the tops next to the correct éclair. Gently dip the top half into ganache, allow the ganache to drip, then use the edge of the bowl to swipe off extra. Place it next to its appropriate bottom half, repeating until you’ve done them all. Prep a piping bag with a 1’’ tip or a star tip of your choosing.
Place “mousse” into piping bag, lifting the bag up and gently shake it up and down to encourage the batter to reach the tip. Twist the top of the bag to seal the bag and pipe the mousse into the éclair bottoms. When you pipe, place your dominant hand at the top your pastry and your non-dominant hand at the piping tip. Use your dominant hand to squeeze the bag and your non-dominant steady it
Decorate with edible rose petals for Thérèse of Lisieux, which can be plucked from your garden or purchased online or at most supermarkets. Place the tops and the bottoms in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up (do dishes and pray while you’re waiting for this).
Once cold, add the tops to the bottoms, and with God’s blessing, you’ll have a treat for yourself and St. Thérèse!

Br. Andrew’s Pro tips: Using a scale helps you be more accurate. Don’t skimp on the bread flour. Read the recipe carefully and twice. Take your time... and it’s okay if you mess up!