Pate a Choux
Marshmallow Filling
Glaze
Preparation Directions
Preheat oven to 475°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper trimmed to sit flat on the sheets. Set aside.
Place the milk or soymilk, water, butter or margarine, sugar and salt into a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium heat.
Remove saucepan from the heat and use a wooden spoon to mix in the flour. Place the saucepan over low heat and cook for one minute more, stirring constantly to dry out the dough, and until you do not see any flour in the dough. Remove from the heat.
Place the dough in a medium bowl and add five of the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon after the addition of each egg. This takes time, so be patient.
Put the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip, Atero #357. Squeeze a little dough under the corners of the parchment paper to glue it to the cookie sheet.
Squeeze out a three-inch hollow triangle (outline of triangle, leaving space inside) by starting in one bottom corner, squeezing a three-inch line about ¾ inch thick from the bottom at an angle to the top, down the other side to make an upside-down “V,” and then joining the bottom points to create a hollow triangle. Try to do this with one motion, lifting the pastry tip up after you have made all three sides. Leave at least 1 to 2 inches of space between each one and try to make them all about the same size.
Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the pastries, gently brushing down the point that remains after you lift the tip.
Place the cookie sheets into the oven and turn off the oven for 15 minutes, leaving the éclair cases to rise inside. After 15 minutes, turn the oven back on to 350°F and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven. After they cool for 5 minutes, use a skewer or the pastry tip to make three or four holes in the bottom of each pastry, at least one on each side of the triangle. Let cool.
To make the marshmallow filling, place the gelatin powder in a small bowl and add ¼ cup cold water. Do not stir and let sit for 10 minutes. This is called “blooming the gelatin.”
Whisk the egg white on medium speed in the bowl of a stand mixer. When the egg white begins to firm up, add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue to beat the mixture on medium speed until stiff.
At the same time, place the remaining sugar, 3 tablespoons of water and the honey into a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat until the mixture reaches 250°F, using a candy thermometer. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the gelatin.
Leaving the mixer on at medium speed, pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl. Add the vanilla. Continue whisking for at least five minutes, or until the mixture has cooled.
Place the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch tip and squeeze the marshmallow filling
into each side of the triangle, tilting the tip to fill in both directions.
To make the glaze, place the confectioners’ sugar into a shallow bowl, add the water and whisk well. If too liquidy, add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar, if too thick, add a little more water.
Pour the nonpareils into a second shallow bowl. Dip the top of the pastry into the glaze and use your fingers to remove any excess. Press into the nonpareils to cover the glaze completely, and wipe off any excess so you have a straight line. Let dry and enjoy.
