These eclairs are filled with roasted rhubarb and tonka bean and ginger custard with some crumbled specaloos cookies.
the tartness of the rhubarb goes really well with the fragrant tonka bean and ginger custard.
I decorated them with a rhubarb and ginger glaze with some candied rhubarb and ginger and specaloos crumbs.
choux pastry recipe
120g 4.2 ounces butter
240g 1 cup water
175g 1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
4 tbsp granulated sugar
50g 1 cup eggs (about 4)
preheat the oven to 200c
in a pan add the butter and water, and stir over a medium heat until the butter melts, pour in the flour, salt, sugar and ginger and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, keep stirring over the heat for 1 minute.
then tip dough in to stand mixer and turn it on for a minute to help release some steam and cool the dough down leave it to sit for 5 minutes,
whisk the eggs together in a bowl then with the mixer on add a 1/4 of the eggs and mix until it is combined then add the next 1/4, you my find that you wont need all the eggs i usually use 3 eggs then if it is still a bit thick i add another.
once the dough is thick and holds its shape with the mixer is lifted add it to a piping bag.
line two trays with baking paper and pipe lines of dough 6 inches long then wet your finger and smooth down the tips on each eclair.
turn the oven down to 180c 350f
bake for 40 minutes,
turn the trays around half way through then turn the oven down to 325f and bake for a further 20 minutes then turn it down again to 300f and bake for a final 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
let cool
roasted rhubarb
preheat the oven to 180c 350
chop up two big stalks of rhubarb and place on a baking tray and sprinkle over 6 tbsp of sugar
roast for 15 minutes then mash up the soft rhubarb with the back of a spoon.
for tonka bean ginger custard
500ml milk
1 tonka bean grated with a nutmeg grater
1 tsp vanilla extract
110g 1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yokes
3 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp ground ginger
in a bowl mix the egg yokes, sugar, corn flour and ginger set aside.
add the milk grated tonka bean and vanilla extract into a pan and gently heat until it is simmering, pour 1/4 of the hot milk into the yoke mixture and mix in then pour back into the pan and mix together. stir continuously until the mixture thicken and coats the back of the spoon.
pour into bowl and press some cling film against it so a skin does not form.
let cool
slice the eclairs and add some rhubarb and then pipe in the custard.
the sprinkle in some crushed specaloos cookies
for icing
125g 1 and 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp ginger syrup
some juice from the roasted rhubarb
water as needed
pink and peach food colouring to make the rhubarb colour.
mix the icing sugar, ginger syrup and rhubarb juice with a a little water at a time until a thick icing forms, if you make it too runny then add some more icing sugar. add food colouring then spoon on to the eclairs. decorate with candied rhubarb and shop bought candied ginger and crumble specaloos cookies
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Gorgeous! That color is simply stunning. And those flavors!
Thankyou Michelle x
This is awesome. Lottie + Doof recently had a great post titled "You're Boring" on the homogeneity and lack of inspirational or creative content from the thousands of food sources available from food blogs to cookbooks and magazines. They all seem to churn out the same stuff and there is a lack of criticism, with every other comment being "this is amazing" or "yum".
For the first time in a long time I've actually had to google an ingredient – tonka beans. And was not only intrigued by the description of their taste but found out they are sort of illegal in the United States (!) Interesting.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that definitively, you are not boring at all.
Illegal!! It's the first time I used them i got them on amazon and they were quite pricy but worth it they smell so amazing. I'm glad you like the flavour combination xx
Now that is one unique recipe, Aimee – it looks pretty, what a gorgeous rhubarb pink colour, love it.
Aimee, these are so lovely! I'll admit, I've never had or even seen tonka beans. But the way you present them here makes me want to get my hands on some. xo