Recipe from Pastry Chef Yiannis Toumpas, owner of the 'Aroma Vanilias' pastry shop.
INGREDIENTS
For the Choux Pastry
• 500ml milk or water, or half and half
• 175g unsalted butter
• ½ pinch of salt
• 25g sugar
• 300g flour
• 8-10 eggs
For the Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
• 1 liter milk
• 190g sugar
• 120g cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 2 sachets vanilla
• 200g heavy cream
For the Dark Chocolate Ganache
• 400g heavy cream
• 200g dark couverture chocolate
METHOD
For the Pastry:
1. Place the water with the butter, salt, and sugar in a saucepan and put it on the heat. Once it boils and the butter melts, add the flour.
Cook until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from the heat and let it cool.
2. Place the mixture in a mixer and add the eggs one by one until the required consistency (drop consistency) is achieved.
3. Place the mixture in a piping bag and shape éclairs, cream buns, profiteroles, etc., as desired.
Bake in a hot oven (200°C) for 30 to 40 minutes depending on the shape.
For the Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière):
1. Bring the milk to a boil.
Whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.
Pour this mixture into the hot milk and whisk well with a whisk until combined.
2. Return to the heat to boil again and thicken into a cream.
Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
3. Chill in the refrigerator and then beat in the mixer until light and fluffy. Fold in the whipped heavy cream with a spatula.
For the Dark Chocolate Ganache:
1. Place the heavy cream in a saucepan. Heat it on the stove. Chop the couverture chocolate into small pieces.
2. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate pieces and stir until the mixture is smooth.
Prick the choux pastries and fill them with pastry cream.
