Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Éclairs
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been eating strawberries like it’s your job ever since spring arrived and the mediocre berries from California actually started tasting sweet and juicy. I went through a 3-pound flat of strawberries from Costco in a week. I’m a little worried for when Washington (a.k.a the best) strawberries are in season– I fear my skin might turn red from too much consumption.
All side effects will be worth it.
Needless to say, when Choclette decided this month’s We Should Cocoa challenge had to involve chocolate and strawberries, I was ecstatic. The berries were already waiting in my fridge. Ideas whirred through my head. Where would they land? Brownies? Pie? Cookies? Éclairs…? Oh yes. Strawberry-filled. Chocolate-covered. Éclairs.
If you weren’t reading my blog back in the early days, you may not have read my post for Maple-Glazed Éclairs and my love affair with these indulgent pastries. Let’s just say I’m smitten.
These éclairs were no exception. Take a bite, and lush strawberry pastry cream spills onto your tongue. Made with tangy buttermilk, this cream has that same tart-sweet combination that makes cream cheese frosting so addicting. It’s a beautiful combination of flavors with the fresh berries and rich, dark chocolate. This is a summer treat that will stand out. Move over strawberry shortcake!
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Éclairs
© Copyright 2011 Carly Sullivan, Tart to Heart
Yield: about 12 éclairs
Strawberry Buttermilk Pastry Cream
Ingredients:
Strawberry Compote:
- 12 oz hulled strawberries, fresh or frozen, sliced or chopped
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Pastry Cream:
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
Directions:
- To make the compote, combine the strawberries and 2 Tbsp sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking apart the strawberry pieces as they soften (I find a whisk works really well for this). Continue to cook until the strawberries are completely broken down and the sauce thickens. Let cool.
- For the pastry cream, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl until completely smooth.
- Meanwhile, heat the buttermilk over medium heat until it just begins to simmer (Buttermilk can separate when heated, so it’s important to heat it gently and not let it come to a full boil. If it does separate a little, don’t worry about it. It won’t affect the flavor.)
- Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly so as not to curdle the eggs. Once all the milk is incorporated, return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat until the mixture is thick, whisking constantly.
- Immediately remove from the pan into a wide shallow dish (like a 9×13 baking dish). Whisk in the vanilla and the cooled strawberry compote.
- Cover with plastic wrap touching the entire surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until completely cooled.
Pâte à Choux (Éclair dough)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup milk (any fat % is fine)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4-6 eggs
Directions: (For more detailed photos of this process, check out the aforementioned Maple-Glazed Éclair post.)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and, to make life easier when you go to pipe your éclairs, make a template and trace it on to your parchment paper. I make my éclairs about 1 inch wide by 4 inches long.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, gradually add the flour while whisking until the mixture comes together in a tight ball that resembles mashed potatoes.
- Remove the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (this process can also be done by hand with a large wooden spoon). Mix on medium speed to release the steam.
- Once the steaming has died down, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth. You are aiming for a consistency that’s very smooth but not too loose. It should be squeezable like toothpaste without being runny.
- Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe the dough to fill your pre-made template (or freehand it!), moving slowly to get nice, even éclairs. Leave at least 1 inch between each éclair as they puff up quite a bit when baked.
- Once all your dough is used up, dip a fork in water and run it down the length of each éclair to smooth out any lumps and create pretty ridges on the tops of your éclairs.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Rotate the pans 180 degrees, lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to cook another 10-12 minutes until dark golden brown and dry. Turn off the oven, crack the door and let the eclairs dry for 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, use a small star piping tip to carefully drill two holes on the bottom ends of each éclair (alternatively, you could use a serrated knife to slice each éclair in half lengthwise and fill them that way).
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip that will fit into the holes you made with the chilled pastry cream. Carefully fill each éclair with the cream, pointing the top towards the middle to fill completely until the éclair feels heavy. Set down on a clean tray and continue with the remaining éclairs. Keep cool until ready to glaze.
Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Directions:
- Combine the chocolate, corn syrup and salt in a small heatproof bowl.
- Meanwhile, heat the cream in a small saucepan to a simmer.
- Poor the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit 1 minute. Gently stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Add the vanilla.
- Let cool until barely warm and slightly thickened. Take a spoon and carefully pour the glaze down the length of each éclair. Clean up any drips with a clean fingertip. Continue with remaining éclairs. Allow the glaze to set and keep the éclairs chilled until ready to serve. They will last up to 4 days in the fridge, but are best served the same day as they will soften over time. Enjoy!
They sound, and look, delicious! My family might like those too…I wouldn’t want to have to eat them all myself.
You take excellent food pictures.
What a great idea for the challenge! These are superb! Strawberries are just the best right? Sweet, juicy bites if pure summer- what’s not love??
Wow… wow… and wowwww!
I’m gona try these!!
Wonderful. You’re on Freshly Pressed. So deserved your posts are always fantastic. Which reminds me, why have I not subscribed? Great recipe, again.
I had a feeling something big had happened when my inbox was flooded with WordPress comment and like alerts! Very exciting
Thanks for reading my blog and always leaving such nice comments!
YUM! give me some of those.
I’m calling “unfair” all over this post today — I want some NOW!
Great post — these look AMAZING…
And now I’m sad I don’t have one.
Mikalee
I may have died and gone to heaven!
Sounds and looks delicious. Congratulations on being FP’d
Awesome! Love, love, love eclairs!
Your photos are amazing. This treat sounds like a great way to enjoy a bit of sunshine filled moment. Love strawberries and chocolate…sweet!
I see pictures of these foods so hungry, definitely nice
i love eclairs, and those look great
A fellow food blogger, nice to meet you! Congrats on the sweet Freshly Pressed post
Thanks so much!
mmmmm…..looks so good! i luv going to costco for strawberries too!
This looks awesome!
These look to die for, and they look fun to make!
Congratulations on Freshly Pressed!
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed. Good U! Good recipe, I can see why you are so smitten. Yum.
Looks amazing. Recipe seems complicated for my skill level though…lol!
I think you have a spelling error in your tags, just saying, but YUM! gosh I want one sooo bad!
Delicious eclair photos. Thanks for posting these recipes. I’ve been looking for a good eclair recipe and yours sound and looks great.
Hello, these are excellent chocolate eclairs, Your blog is really well kept.
Good luck
Go see my blog.
Congrats on being FP! We have been in berry gluttony lately in our house – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries. Just the way you write makes me hungry & the pictures just add to it – YUM!!! This will make me think twice before making strawberry shortcake, which I do love too.
Thank you! Berries are one of my very favorite things. When the blackberries are ripe around here in late summer I go nuts and pick bucketfuls! I still have some in my freezer from last summer. So glad you like my blog!
sounds yummy!
Delicious pictures! No need to eat the eclairs. I can just get a cup of coffee and look at the pictures.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
Mmmm….looks delicious.
Great Recipie !!
¡Mmmmmm, yummy!
Berries are in season here. I must go pick some to make this recipe.
This is a very nice blog I like it stop by my blog sometime.
These look lovely – strawberries and chocolate! Are they difficult to make?
I know eclairs look a bit intimidating, but no they aren’t difficult. I think the trickiest part is piping them if you’re not very comfortable with piping, but I know you can do it! And you can always just cut them in half and spread the filling inside to make life easier. Check out my other eclair post that I linked to for more step by step pictures
This looks heavenly! I think food (especially strawberries) can add so much happiness to our lives. You definitely deserve the “Irresistibly Sweet” Blog Award–http://thesunnygirl.com/?p=2085. Keep up the delicious posts!
Keep shining,
The Sunny Girl, Lauren Cook
http//www.thesunnygirl.com
i cannot wait to try this. it combines two of my greatest loves!
I just gained 5 lbs reading this post…………..
sounds and looks so fresh!!!!
Sounds and looks delish…I like you love strawberries and almost went crazy in the market last night looking for them (they were all out). The good thing about strawberries, besides tasting great, is they are a natural teeth whitener. So Smile…Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
I never knew they were a teeth whitener- what a lovely perk! Thanks for your kind comments
Mmmm, those look amazing!
it looks delicious ^^ ♥
I just found a great surprise for my wife tonight!!! can you do this for mangoes????
I don’t see why not! Let me know if you try it out
Sounds like a yummy idea
Please stop making me hungry
I will bake this as soon as I get some of the ingredients
Haha sorry! (except I’m not) Let me know if you try them out!
Ohh i LOVE eclairs! I just wanna eat one with a girl one of these days, and we can share the strawberries too hehe:)
these look fabulous! thanks for sharing.
http://www.modestcupboard.wordpress.com
Wow…these look amazing! Can’t wait to give them a try.
Definitely would love these! And I’ve also been a huge fan of strawberries since…well since the moment I could basically walk and understand what i was eating XD
Oh no! I just finished my after-lunch cookie, and now you are making me hungry for dessert again. Those eclairs sound amazing.
Stunning pictures and delectable descriptions. Congratulations on being FP
Thank you!
Some of us are reading on an empty stomach here. And this is the reward? Nice.
Ah, loved the pictures! It looked soo god! Why cant norwegian mothers start making this for breakfast?
mmmm, yummy!!! i’m a sucker for eclairs!!!
These must taste awesome!
Ah Chocolate! Ah Strawberries! AH! Chocolate covered strawberries!! Now add the eclair…drooling!!
Congrats on being FP!
These look mouthwatering!
First time on your blog….made me hungry….great pics….
Carly, I love your blog! If you’d ever like to guest post for The Happy Mouth, please let me know!
thehappymouthblog.com
Éclairs are one of my favorite desserts – absolutely amazing. Add strawberries? Even better.
While in France I picked up a few fresh éclairs, and found them to be the best I’d ever had.
Looks great!! The pics are fantastic.
These look and sound so awesome. I’d try making them myself if only we had an oven at home. Congrats on getting FP =)
These look so good! Thanks for sharing this with us.
I SO WANT TO TRY THIS! It sounds so very tasty. Maybe I can get my girls to make them for my bridal shower!
Wow! These look AMAZING. I want to try this in my next recipe adventure…just wrote about a pie failure on my blog http://tomatoesinthebedroomblog.wordpress.com
any suggestions?!?
Cal
These look amazing! What other eclairs have you tried, and which did you like best? The most daring thing I ever did with strawberries is “rescue” a past-their-prime frozen clump by turning them into little pies. That wasn’t as bad as it sounds, but this sounds way better! By the way, have you ever tried MI strawberries?
YUM….YUM……YUM……Yummmyyy…..
yum, yum and yum again!
my god!
drool times 3
hey those were awesome…surely will try out some of dem…do let me know when u post in some more
Just started blogging! I love strawberries too. I’m an aspiring pastry chef so desserts like these are a must in my life. Another way to go for the eclairs would have been fresh strawberry butter-cream filled eclairs. I personally love it with mint. I will definitely keep up to date on your posts. Nice Job!
waw nice food
I’m feeling very hungry now. They sound delicious!
sepertinya lezat sekali.. yummy.. ^_^
Thank you so much for this post. I was just thrilled to see it as a featured blog on the wordpress site. I LOVE eclairs but I imagine the strawberry filling rounds them out perfectly. I’ll post pictures when I make my own attempt. Looking forward to more
Ahhh these are gorgeous!! What’s not to love about strawberries, chocolate, and pastries???
Looks so delicious and yummy. Great Recipe
They sound delicious!
Wow.!!!!!! amazing! I’m gona try these!!
doof ,i like it.
Look delicious
))
Would go well with my strawberry sundae!
omg you had me at chocolate. how did you get your blog on the freshley pressed?
Hi! carlysulli
Really your blog is awesome and useful to me
just signed up with wordpress and couldn’t help but click on your strawberry/chocolate eclairs post! they look AMAZING. and your blog is wonderful. keep up the good work!
That looks fantastic!!! Yummi!!
I definitely have to try them! Reminds me of my time in London where I used to eat them a lot. Thanks for the post! 
Those look delicious! I think I might make them.
mmmm TASTYY:)
and Congrats!
I do so love your entries Carly, you come up with such great ideas and your photos are always stunning. Your eclairs sound fantastic and CT would kill to have some of these made for him. I’m rather wary of giving these a go, they are just the sort of thing I would mess up! Thank you for taking part again.
Thanks so much Choclette! I love participating and thanks for giving some great challenges. My We Should Cocoa posts are some of the most popular on my blog… I think people really like chocolate!
They sound so tasty! Luv the pictures, too.
yum – I am totally going to try this!
Hey!
I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Let me know if you accept the nomination and keep up the great work!
Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who awarded you and link back to them in your post.
2. Tell 7 Random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award on to 7 new found (or old favorite) bloggers.
4. Contact each blogger you want to pass the award on to and let them know you’ve done so, and let the giver of your award know you accept it… or not.
Lots of Love
Jade
These look so delicious!
I am drooling all over my keyboard!!! These eclairs looks AMAZING. Your photos and recipes always look beautiful – great blog!
Hi,
I saw your blog on freshly pressed and actually went out and bought strawberries on account of your post. I wanted to nominate you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Accepting comes with a few rules….
1. Thank the person who awarded you and link back to them in your post.
2. Tell 7 Random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award on to 7 new found (or old favorite) bloggers.
4. Contact each blogger you want to pass the award on to and let them know you’ve done so, and let the giver of your award know you accept it… or not.
Congrats!
Best,
Koritt
They look to die for! Although, the filling alone sounds dangerous to the thighs!
I love your recipe and your blog, I also want to mention that with this puff pastry if you feel intimidated by pastry bags and tip, you can also make cream puffs by spooning the pastry onto baking sheet as well, we have done this for decades. Same item different shape.
OMG! These bad boys would have to be on the table for my last meal I think. YUM!
These look awesome!
nice pictures!!
http://rodposse.com/
Marvelous post, please do publish more posts!