Eclairs with condensed milk - this is not the dessert that can be called everyday. In order to cook them, you need some experience and a lot of time, and many people do not like the high calorie content. But the wonderful taste of these cakes makes them one of the most popular desserts in the world. Well, how can you not love them!
If you decide to learn how to cook eclairs yourself, then you probably already know that homemade boiled condensed milk is great for filling them . The recipe for making it from purchased condensed milk is so simple that even a teenager can handle it. The main thing is not to forget about the saucepan gently bubbling on the stove, otherwise you will have to master the skills of washing kitchen surfaces from a viscous thick brew. An explosion of a can of condensed milk often becomes the plot of anecdotes, so everyone is probably warned of such a danger. But this is not the only way to cook the so-called "vareniki", which is ideal for home-made custard cakes.
Choux pastry for eclairs
As the name suggests, the recipe is based on the brewing process. There are several ways to make dough. Some of them involve brewing flour, some - starch, and some - eggs. For starters, you can use the following recipe for eclairs:
- a glass of water (250 ml);
- 100 g of creamed butter;
- 200 g sifted flour;
- 4 medium sized eggs;
- salt on the tip of the spoon.
Prepare the dough in a water bath. Pour water into a large pot, put on a fire, insert a shallow one into it. Pour in water and add diced butter, add salt. When working, you may need a wooden spatula. Stir the liquid while adding flour. At the end of cooking, the dough will combine into a spreading lump. Remove the dough from the heat and put the eggs into it: one at a time, each time mixing the mass.
Eclairs need to be deposited from a confectionery syringe or bag. Try not to touch the dough with your fingers, otherwise the cakes will not rise. Bake products in a preheated oven to 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then the fire is reduced to 180 ° C for another 5 minutes. It is impossible to open the door during baking.
Homemade Condensed Milk
In the meantime, the cakes are cooling, you can do the filling. Boiled condensed milk, the recipe of which is familiar to everyone since childhood, can be cooked the day before. Boil the jar in hot water over low heat for a couple of hours. Do not forget to add boiling water.
Eclairs with condensed milk can be prepared in another way. You can cook homemade condensed milk with your own hands, but you need to do this in advance. When hot, the product will be too liquid, it will be impossible to fill the cakes.
Place a pan with a high side on medium heat, mixing 3 liters of fat milk with a kilogram of sugar. While stirring, bring to a boil. Make sure that your brew does not run away - and milk, as you know, strives to leave the pan and splash on the stove. When the sugar has completely dissolved, reduce the heat and note the time - you will have to spend about 4 hours on the whole process. Once the mass boils, remove the pan and carefully add 3 tbsp. l lemon juice and 1 tsp soda. At this moment, the mass will greatly increase in volume, will go foam. This should not bother you. Put it on the fire again. There is no need to stand all this time over the stove, but keep the process under control. You will see how the mass thickens and decreases in volume. The result is about 1.5 liters of delicious homemade condensed milk, which is perfect for eclairs.
The process of filling eclairs with filling
The key to success is the use of cooled products. If you do everything right, the eclairs will turn out to be twice or three times larger than those tubes that you planted on a baking sheet before baking. The middle in them are spacious cavities - they need to be filled with cream. It is convenient to do this with a syringe or pouch, but if you don’t have a special tool, you can simply make an incision with a knife and apply cream through it.
Eclairs with condensed milk should be stacked on a plate in one layer, not a slide, otherwise they will get wet and the icing will spread.
Glaze for eclairs
Custard cakes are usually coated with chocolate. For these purposes, you can simply melt the tile or cook the glaze.
For its preparation, mix milk, cocoa and sugar in equal quantities - 3 tbsp. Put the bowl on the fire, bring to a boil. If desired, add a pinch of vanillin or a few drops of brandy. When the icing has cooled, cover it with homemade cakes.
Eclairs on the table
This dessert can be served not only with tea or coffee, but also with dessert wine or champagne. Table is served with dessert cutlery - knives and forks. Eclairs with condensed milk are served on a large plate, and laid out on portioned plates with the help of pastry tongs. According to the rules of etiquette, you can eat eclairs without cutlery, holding in your hand and biting off small pieces.