Blackberry Mint Chocolate Éclair

We’ve put a delicious twist on the classic éclair. The traditional pastry cream is enhanced with a sweet, minty curd made from frozen blackberries and a few drops of our Pure Peppermint Extract. Pair that with the éclair’s shiny, dark chocolate glaze and you’ll fall in love.

Ingredients

USMetric

Blackberry Mint Curd

16 ounces frozen blackberries, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract
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1-2 drops Nielsen-Massey Pure Peppermint Extract, using a dropper or by dipping the tip of a paring knife into the extract
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Éclair

½ cup water
½ cup whole milk
6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
5 large eggs, room temperature

Tempered Chocolate Glaze

1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided

Directions

Blackberry Mint Curd

Place blackberries in a blender or food processor to purée. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain purée over a large saucepan to remove seeds. Purée should yield roughly 1 ½ cups. Stir in lemon juice, salt and half of the sugar to the purée.

In a medium-sized bowl, vigorously whisk together egg yolks and the remaining sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add cornstarch and continue to whisk vigorously until smooth.

Over medium heat, bring the blackberry purée mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Temper the egg yolks by incorporating about ¼ cup of the hot purée into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Once the ¼ cup of hot purée is fully incorporated, whisk the remaining purée into the egg mixture and set the saucepan aside.

Pour the mixture through a sieve back into the saucepan, and continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly until the curd begins to thicken and boil. Continue cooking for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until completely melted. Stir in vanilla extract and peppermint extract.

Pour mixture into a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should gently touch the top of the curd. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Éclairs

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare two baking trays with a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

In a medium saucepan, combine water, milk, butter, salt and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling and butter has completely melted, turn off heat. Add the flour and quickly stir together with a firm spatula or wooden spoon to form a thick dough-like mixture. Return the saucepan to medium heat. Stir the mixture continuously. Cook for 1-2 minutes until a thin film forms on the bottom of the saucepan.

Transfer the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until dough feels warm, but not hot. Continue mixing and begin adding eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to fully incorporate before adding the next egg. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Once the final egg is incorporated, stop the mixer and remove the paddle and bowl. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl again to make sure everything is evenly mixed.

To make your own pastry bag, cut a 1-inch opening in the corner of a quart-sized resealable bag. Place a 1-inch star tip in the bag where the opening is. Using a tip is optional but will help with uniformity. Place the bag in a tall glass, folding the top of the bag over the top of the glass. Transfer the dough to the resealable bag. Twist the top of the bag closed and hold the bag at a 45° angle about ½ inch above the tray. Press firmly on the bag to pipe the éclair. Pipe six, 6-inch long strips on each tray and touch the tip of the bag on the baking tray to make the tail of the éclair stick to the tray. Leave enough room between each éclair to allow for spreading. Press in the tail of the éclair with a damp finger to remove pointy tips.

Bake éclairs for 15 minutes. Once they have puffed, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue baking for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 20 minutes before filling with blackberry curd.

Filling the Éclairs

Make your own pastry bag by cutting a ¼-inch opening in the corner of a quart-sized resealable bag. Transfer the curd filling to the resealable bag.

Using a paring knife, make three equally spaced small holes in the bottom of the éclair. Holding the éclair in one hand and the bag with the other, slowly squeeze curd out of the bag into each opening. Do not overfill, or the pastry will break. Place the filled éclairs in the fridge while preparing the tempered chocolate.

Tempered Chocolate Glaze

Create professional-looking, chocolate-dipped éclairs by tempering chocolate at home using the seeding method described below.

Place roughly ¾ of the chocolate in a large, dry, heat-proof bowl. Fill a small pot with 1-2 inches of water and bring it to a light simmer. Create a double boiler by placing the heatproof bowl of chocolate over the pot. Turn the heat down to low. The bowl should not touch the water. If it is touching the water, remove enough water so the bowl is no longer touching it.

Let the chocolate sit over the hot water, uncovered, until it is about 2/3 melted. Be careful to not allow any water to splash or touch the chocolate. Once the chocolate is about 2/3 melted, gently stir and allow it to melt completely until a candy thermometer reaches 115°F. Remove the melted chocolate from the pot and set it aside.

Add the remaining ¼ of the chocolate to the melted chocolate, stirring constantly until all pieces have melted and the mixture cools to 79°F. Raise the temperature of the chocolate to 89°F by briefly placing it back over pot of simmering water or microwaving it for 5 seconds at a time.

To check if the chocolate is in temper, dip a small piece of parchment paper in the melted chocolate. When the chocolate sets to a satiny texture and glossy finish, it is ready to use. Note that cooling temperatures vary by type of chocolate. If the chocolate doesn’t start to set within 2-3 minutes, allow chocolate to cool to 87°F and test again.

Working quickly, hold the éclair parallel over the chocolate and dip the éclair into the chocolate, covering about ⅓ of the éclair. Let excess chocolate drip off and then place onto parchment paper to set.

Notes

Frozen blackberries work very well in this recipe because they release juice as they thaw, creating an easier and faster purée process. Fresh blackberries can be used as well.

Chocolate éclair recipe created by pastry chef Jessica Ellington.

Blackberry Mint Curd

454 grams frozen blackberries, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
134 grams granulated sugar, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract
buy now
1-2 drops Nielsen-Massey Pure Peppermint Extract, using a dropper or by dipping the tip of a paring knife into the extract
buy now

Éclair

118 ml water
118 ml whole milk
99 grams unsalted butter
½ teaspoon kosher salt
5 grams granulated sugar
135 grams all-purpose flour, sifted
5 large eggs, room temperature

Tempered Chocolate Glaze

170 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided

Directions

Blackberry Mint Curd

Place blackberries in a blender or food processor to purée. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain purée over a large saucepan to remove seeds. Purée should yield roughly 340 grams. Stir in lemon juice, salt and half of the sugar to the purée.

In a medium-sized bowl, vigorously whisk together egg yolks and the remaining sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add cornstarch and continue to whisk vigorously until smooth.

Over medium heat, bring the blackberry purée mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Temper the egg yolks by incorporating about 60 ml of the hot purée into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Once the 60 ml of hot purée is fully incorporated, whisk the remaining purée into the egg mixture and set the saucepan aside.

Pour mixture into a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should gently touch the top of the curd. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Éclairs

Preheat oven to 205°C. Prepare two baking trays with a piece of parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

To make your own pastry bag, cut a 2.5 cm opening in the corner of a quart-sized resealable bag. Place a 2.5 cm star tip in the bag where the opening is. Using a tip is optional but will help with uniformity. Place the bag in a tall glass, folding the top of the bag over the top of the glass. Transfer the dough to the resealable bag. Twist the top of the bag closed and hold the bag at a 45° angle about 13 mm above the tray. Press firmly on the bag to pipe the éclair. Pipe six, 15 cm long strips on each tray and touch the tip of the bag on the baking tray to make the tail of the éclair stick to the tray. Leave enough room between each éclair to allow for spreading. Press in the tail of the éclair with a damp finger to remove pointy tips.

Bake éclairs for 15 minutes. Once they have puffed, reduce the oven temperature to 163°C and continue baking for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 20 minutes before filling with blackberry curd.

Filling the Éclairs

Make your own pastry bag by cutting a 6 mm opening in the corner of a quart-sized resealable bag. Transfer the curd filling to the resealable bag.

Tempered Chocolate Glaze

Create professional-looking, chocolate-dipped éclairs by tempering chocolate at home using the seeding method described below.

Place roughly ¾ of the chocolate in a large, dry, heat-proof bowl. Fill a small pot with 2.5-5 cm of water and bring it to a light simmer. Create a double boiler by placing the heatproof bowl of chocolate over the pot. Turn the heat down to low. The bowl should not touch the water. If it is touching the water, remove enough water so the bowl is no longer touching it.

Let the chocolate sit over the hot water, uncovered, until it is about 2/3 melted. Be careful to not allow any water to splash or touch the chocolate. Once the chocolate is about 2/3 melted, gently stir and allow it to melt completely until a candy thermometer reaches 46°C. Remove the melted chocolate from the pot and set it aside.

Add the remaining ¼ of the chocolate to the melted chocolate, stirring constantly until all pieces have melted and the mixture cools to 32°C. Raise the temperature of the chocolate to 32°C by briefly placing it back over pot of simmering water or microwaving it for 5 seconds at a time.

Working quickly, hold the éclair parallel over the chocolate and dip the éclair into the chocolate, covering about 1/3 of the éclair. Let excess chocolate drip off and then place onto parchment paper to set.

Notes

Frozen blackberries work very well in this recipe because they release juice as they thaw, creating an easier and faster purée process. Fresh blackberries can be used as well.

Chocolate éclair recipe created by pastry chef Jessica Ellington.