Lemon Passion Fruit Eclairs Food

LEMON & PASSION FRUIT ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Make the éclairs and crème pâtissière using our classic recipe.
• Halve the passion fruits (the skin should be dark purple and crinkly, this shows they are ripe). Scoop the seeds into a sieve over a bowl, pushing through as much juice as possible. Add the fondant icing sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thick icing. Add enough yellow food colouring to create a vivid colour. Cover with cling film.
• Transfer the passion fruit or lemon curd to a piping bag and pipe a line along the bottom half of the split éclairs.
• Pour 600ml double cream into a bowl, add the lemon zest and icing sugar. Beat with an electric hand whisk to stiff peaks. Fold the cream through the crème pâtissière, then transfer to a piping bag. Pipe generous blobs of cream over the base of each éclair to cover the curd.
• Spread the glaze over the top of the éclairs (be careful as they will be delicate). Position the tops on the cream. Use an edible gold shimmer spray to give the glaze a shimmer and pipe a line on top using a black food icing pen. For more help, see our how to make choux pastry and eclairs video.

PASSION FRUIT & RASPBERRY ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Fold a sheet of greaseproof paper in half and then unfold to leave a crease. Sift together the flour and salt onto the paper twice. Put the butter and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and tip the entire flour and salt mixture into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and return the pan to the stove. Beat the mix with a wooden spoon or electric mixer over a low heat until it comes away easily from the sides. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Beat in the eggs a little at a time, mixing until smooth yet strong enough to stand in peaks. You may not need all the egg.
• Pipe the choux into thick eclair strips (10-12cm long and 1.5cm wide) on a non-stick baking tray, leaving a space between each. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden and crisp to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. You can make the eclairs up to this stage the day before and keep them in an airtight container, or they can be frozen.
• Halve the passion fruits and scoop the pulp into a small pan. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for a minute or two until a thick consistency is reached. Leave until cold, then spoon the syrup into the custard, saving a little to finish the dish.
• Whip the cream to soft peaks before gently spooning into the flavoured custard. Refrigerate until needed (it will keep for up to 4 hours).
• To serve, split the eclairs lengthways and put the bases on individual plates. Spoon on the cream generously - it will happily tumble onto the plate. Now sprinkle the raspberries over and around, and drizzle with the passion fruit syrup. The lids can now be placed on top and dusted with icing sugar.

ECLAIRS

Steps:

• First, make the choux pastry. Put the butter in a saucepan with 450ml water. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and set aside. Bring the butter and water to a fast boil, simmer until the butter has melted, then tip in the flour and beat like mad with a wooden spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and is lump-free. Tip into the bowl and spread the thick paste up the sides a little to help it cool quickly, then leave for 10 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 and cut two pieces of baking parchment to fit two baking sheets. Using a ruler and pen, mark 10 lines about 12cm long over each piece, leaving plenty of space between the lines, then flip the parchment over. Fit a piping bag with a large round piping nozzle, about 1.5cm wide.
• When the flour paste has cooled but is not cold, start adding the egg, bit by bit, beating well between each addition until you have a smooth batter which will reluctantly drop off the end of your spoon (you can do this in a freestanding mixer if you have one). You may not need to use all the egg, so add it slowly. Transfer to your piping bag and use a little of the mixture to stick the parchment to your trays.
• Pipe the choux onto the baking sheet, using the lines as a guide. Pipe slowly so the eclairs aren't too skinny - each one should be about 2.5cm wide x 12cm long. Bake for 35-40 mins, swapping the trays around for the final 10 mins. The choux should be puffed, golden and sound hollow when tapped. You may wish to sacrifice one eclair to make sure the inside is completely dried out - if it's still moist, the eclair will sink when cooling. Once baked, leave to cool completely. (Can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container, reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins to crisp up before filling.) Split each eclair through the middle with a serrated knife.
• Now, make the crème pâtissière. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Heat until just simmering, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, tip the egg yolks into a bowl and add the sugar and cornflour, whisking together until smooth. Pour over the milk mixture, mix, then pour back into the saucepan. Cook over a medium heat for 5-8 mins until the crème pâtissière thickens to a thick custard consistency. Sieve into a jug, cover the surface with cling film and chill for at least 3 hrs, or up to 3 days.
• To fill and glaze your eclairs, choose one of our flavours - raspberry & cardamom, lemon & passion fruit, salted caramel & popcorn or elderflower & meringue.For more help, see our how to make choux pastry and eclairs video.