Strawberry and Cream Èclairs

This is an elevated, gluten-free take on the classic chouquette, a mini choux pastry coated in pearl sugar. I’ve made them into éclairs filled with crème légère and macerated strawberries.

The inspiration for this dessert came from a picture of an éclair someone posted from a French bakery. I took a screenshot of it, but can’t find the photo anymore and just remember that it was an éclair coated in pearl sugar, filled some kind of piped cream and strawberries.

This gluten-free choux pastry is a recipe I developed a few years ago. It uses a combination of white rice flour, glutinous (or sweet) rice flour and cornflour. The choux pastry won’t turn out as smooth and glossy as a normal choux pastry, so don’t worry if the dough seems too thick. Be patient when mixing, and make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.

When piping the choux, I recommend using a French star tip (such as Loyal 6B), as the ridges help the éclairs bake more evenly. It can also be difficult to pipe, as the piping tip does not lift cleanly from the pastry. I use scissors to snip the pastry off as a go.

Pearl sugar, to my knowledge, is not widely available in Australia. You can it purchase online, but I actually just use sugar cubes crushed with a mortar and pestle. Basically, you want to crush the cubes and sieve out the finer remnants, then crush the bigger pieces into pearl sugar.

The éclairs won’t all fit on a single baking tray, so I use two ovens and bake one tray in each. I prefer not to rotate trays because my main oven heats quite unevenly. If a tray is placed on the top rack, the éclairs underneath may not receive enough heat at the start of baking, which can affect how well they rise and bake. If your oven has similar hot spots or uneven heat distribution, I recommend baking one tray at a time for the most consistent results.

The filling is a crème légère, which is a crème pâtissière ligtened with whipped cream. The crème pâtissière is the only part that can be made ahead, and I recommend folding in the whipped cream when assembling. I’ve scaled down the recipe below, as I initially made too much. It is probably one of my favourite choux pastry fillings, as it is pipeable like a whipped cream but takes like custard.

I was debating whether to use fresh or macerated strawberries, but ultimately chose the latter because the berries weren’t at their freshest and I wanted them to have a glossy finish. I’m glad I did, as the maceration brought out a wonderful flavour, reminiscent of a strawberry tart where the fruit is brushed with jam and paired with rich custard.

These éclairs are best eaten straight after they’re assembled or refrigerated for only 30 minutes. The choux pastry should be made the day of, as it will become soggy overtime. After their refrigerated, they can only keep for a few hours before the éclairs lose their crunch and sugar dissolves from the moisture. The macerated strawberries also taste best fresh.

The flavour combination of strawberry and vanilla is obviously not revolutionary, but all the elements work really well here – the crunchy choux, light cream and sweet berries. It is a bit of a mess to eat as the cream will ooze out the sides. Paris Brest is one of my favourite applications of choux pastry. This one comes very close, if not equal, to that, with far less effort.

Strawberry and Cream Èclairs

Makes 13-15 medium sized éclairs.

Ingredients

Gluten-free Choux Pastry

• 40g white rice flour
• 25g glutinous rice flour
• 15g cornflour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 60g water
• 60g milk
• 50g unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 80g pearl sugar

Crème Légère

• 340ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 egg yolks
• 40g caster sugar
• 25g corn flour
• 10g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 300g thickened cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Macerated Strawberries

• 250g strawberries, hulled and sliced into thin rounds
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

Choux Pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine the white rice flour, glutinous rice flour, cornflour and xanthan gum. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and immediately add the flour. Stir until there are no more streaks of flour and a dough begins to form. Place the saucepan back over medium-high heat, and cook for 1-2 minutes until the paste is pulling away from the sides of the pan.
4. Transfer the dough into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, then mix on medium-low speed for 3 minutes to cool down the dough. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on high speed for at least one minute in between each addition. When adding the third egg, I like to whisk it first and reserve about a tablespoon for the egg wash.
5. Transfer the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a large French star tip (such as a Loyal 6B). Pipe the choux into 8-10cm logs on the lined baking tray, leaving at least 4cm in between each. Brush the choux with the remaining egg and sprinkle generously with pearl sugar.
6. Bake in the preheated oven at for 30-35 minutes. When the choux is golden brown and feels hollow, turn the oven off and allow to cool for 20 minutes with the door ajar. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

Crème Légère

1. In a medium saucepan, add the milk and vanilla bean paste. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium-high heat, or until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until slightly pale in colour. Add the cornstarch, then mix until smooth and well incorporated.
3. Temper the egg yolks, by gradually pouring the hot milk over the egg mixture. Once all the milk is added, return the mixture to the stove and place over medium-high heat. Whisk continuously until thickened, then mix for a further 2 minutes to fully activate the cornstarch.
4. Remove from the heat, and add the cold butter. Mix until fully melted. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl, and cover with cling film ensuring it touches the surface so a skin doesn’t form. Refrigerate to cool completely, at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
5. Beat the cooled crème pâtissière vigorously with a spatula to loosen the mixture. Mix one third of the whipped cream into the crème pâtissière, then gently fold remaining cream a third at a time.
6. Transfer the the crème légère into a piping bag fitted with a French star tip (such as a Loyal 6B).

Macerated Strawberries

1. In a small bowl, combine the sliced strawberries, sugar and vanilla.
2. Leave uncovered at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Assembly

1. Cut the éclairs in half length-wise with a serrated knife.
2. Pipe a generous amount of crème légère into the bottom half of each éclair.
3. Top with 3-4 slices of macerated strawberries.
4. Place the other half of the éclair on top and gently press down.
5. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes. The éclairs will lose their crunch after several hours in the fridge.