This month’s Daring Bakers challenge made Nikolai happy. Chocolate eclairs. Actually they made everyone happy. Who would not be made happy by one of these? Especially when the leftover chocolate sauce just goes on and on and on…
Chocolate profiteroles
Now I have to admit I’d never heard of Pierre Hermé before this challenge. Who’s he, you ask? Well, if for those who are as ignorant as I am of pastry lore, he’s, like the god of French pastry. Strange, therefore, that his choux pastry recipe (as far as I could tell) takes some of the classic principles of French choux and adulterates them somewhat badly. The rules of this challenge stipulate that I use the Hermé recipe, so here’s the photo of the ones that I did using it:
Pierre Herme choux puffs
Yes, well, you don’t need a thousand words on why I did another batch of choux pastry using the more classic French recipe (hot water, not hot milk; four eggs, not five). I found the PH recipe a bit too eggy, and (as you can see from the photo) somewhat un-puffy. The only variation I made on the challenge recipe was the shape – I just don’t like the shape of sausage shaped eclairs, so I did mine as big piped puffs. They went down a storm; I would make them every week if I could, and probably never get tired of them. And the unpuffy batch went into the freezer and has been turned into some pretty lovely goat-cheese and tomato canapés 
It was hosted by Antonio Tahan and Meeta K and their choice of challenge went down a treat! I’ll post the link to the original recipe as soon as it’s up on the hosters’ blogs!!
Awesome eclairs. I kind of had the same problem with mine too, eggy wise. That didn’t seem to hurt people from eating them though
Good call on revisiting the dough with your favorite version.
They look awesome!
great job–not just with these but the canapes.
Eggy and unpuffed (in my experience, too) you are right! Your look fantastic…not really unpuffed looking to me.
Oh, loving them in profiteroles size!
You did a great job on the challenge! That shiny glaze makes me wish I still had some around! Well done!
Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all people you actually recognise what you’re talking about! Bookmarked. Kindly also seek advice from my web site =). We could have a link change contract between us