2 Éclair Murder (12 page)
Authors: Harper Lin
“It’s been a crazy day,” said Clémence. “I think I’m going to take a walk around the neighbourhood—solo.”
She turned on her heel, leaving the two guys with their jaws dropped.
Clémence did want to be alone. It had not only been a long day but a very long and stressful week. Competition brought out the worst in men, and she didn’t have the energy to deal with that. John and Arthur were handsome, but both men were wrong for her. There was no denying that she did have feelings for Arthur, but now that the case was solved, she hoped their lives wouldn’t be as entangled and she would get over him.
She headed back to The Seine. She wanted to celebrate peacefully, and this included having a silent chat with
la tour
about her victory. She was proud of herself. Raoul would get out now, and she could finally go back to her routine of inventing new pastries with her bakers. She’d even have time to start painting again, since she was seriously considering Ben’s offer of putting on a show.
For now, she was free, and she enjoyed taking in the beauty of the city in the springtime.
Baguette Murder, Book 3 of the Patisserie Mysteries, is coming soon.
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Recipe 1: Chocolate Éclairs
The popular French éclair pastry is made with a “choux” dough. It is topped with icing/glazing and the dough is filled with cream. The dough is typically oblong in shape. It’s meant to be eaten in a few bites.
To make different flavors of éclairs, start with the choux dough as base.
Choux Recipe
(makes 9)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
In a saucepan, combine water and butter and bring to a boil. Stir until butter melts completely. Reduce the heat to low and add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and begins to form a stiff ball.
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat them in and incorporate completely.
Spoon or pour this mixture into a pastry bag with a large tip. Pipe onto a cookie sheet in 1 1/2 x 4 inch strips.
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and bake for 20 more minutes. They should be hollow sounding when you tap them lightly on the bottom. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To make chocolate éclairs, here is a simple recipe:
Filling:
- 1 package (5 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 1/2 cups cold milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Combine pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl according to the package directions.
In a separate bowl, beat cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Fold whipped cream into pudding.
Cut the tops off the choux shells with a sharp knife. Fill the shells with pudding mixture and replace tops.
Icing:
- 2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 tbsp hot water
Melt the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water, one tablespoon at a time, until icing is smooth and has reached desired consistency.
Remove from heat and cool slightly. Drizzle over filled éclairs (or dip the top of the shell in the icing). Refrigerate before serving if you can’t resist biting into one right away!
Recipe 2: Pistachio Éclairs
Now that you know how to make the choux shells, you can experiment with different flavors by changing the filling.
Pistachio Pastry Cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch, sifted
- 1 jar (7 oz) Bonte Pistachio Cream
Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water and set aside.
In a small saucepan, boil the milk and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. While whisking, drizzle one quarter of the hot milk over the yolks. Continue adding the hot milk, half a cup at a time, until it has been incorporated. Put the pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while whisking vigorously. Keep at the boil (still whisking) until thick (about 1 to 3 minutes), then take off the heat and whisk in the pistachio cream.
Scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Put the bowl over the ice bath and stir frequently. Cool the cream to 140 F (60C).
Remove the cream from the ice bath, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator.
Use the the same chocolate icing in Recipe 1, and sprinkle chopped pistachios on top.
Recipe 3: Salted Caramel Éclairs
Salted Caramel Pastry Cream
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cornstarch
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp fleur de sel or sea salt
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, brush down the sides of the pan with water, and boil for 8
to
10 minutes, or until caramelized. Slowly stir in the milk. Return the pan to low heat and stir until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and heat to a simmer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk in the egg and egg yolks. As you whisk, add the hot caramel mixture and transfer the mixture back to the saucepan. Cook while whisking constantly over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it thickens and just comes to a boil. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and stir in butter, vanilla and salt.
Caramel Icing:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp milk
- 3 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp caramel essence (from specialty stores)
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add icing sugar, milk and caramel essence and beat it until smooth over the heat. Dip the top of each éclair in the icing and let it cool.
Recipe 4: Hazelnut Mocha Éclairs
Hazelnut Mocha Filling:
- 1 tbsp boiling water
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, divided
- 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
Dissolve coffee granules in boiling water. Cool. In a bowl, beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in coffee mixture and hazelnuts. Refrigerate.
The chocolate icing is the same as Recipe 1.
Recipe 5: Savory Éclairs with Salmon, Cream Cheese and Fresh Herbs
Savory éclairs make great appetizers or snacks. Using the same choux shells, you can fill it with a variety of different ingredients.
For this recipe, you need
- 1 1/2 cups cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Fresh dill, finely chopped
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
- A few sprigs of green onions, finely chopped
Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Season with some salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Spread between the shells. Add slices of salmon.
Other Savory Recipes to Try
Here are some other savory combinations to try:
- Spinach, Gruyere cheese (or the cheese of your choice), and onion
- Ground lamb seasoned with cumin, salt and pepper, tzatziki sauce, and chopped black olives
- Shrimp, mushrooms and shredded cooked carrots
- Chicken salad
- Beet puree with sour cream and horseradish
- Roasted eggplant and tomato sauce
About the Author
Harper Lin lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband, daughter and Pomeranian puppy.
The Patisserie Mysteries
draws from Harper’s own experiences of living in Paris in her twenties. She’s currently working on more Clémence Damour and Emma Wild mysteries.
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All books by Harper Lin:
The Patisserie Mysteries
Baguette Murder: Book 3 (coming soon)
Crème brûlée Murder: Book 4 (coming soon)
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