Éclair

Éclair

Éclairs at Fauchon in Paris

Éclairs at Fauchon in Paris
Type Pastry
Place of origin France
Associated national cuisine French cuisine
Main ingredients Choux pastry, flavoured cream filling, icing
Cookbook: Éclair  Media: Éclair
A classic éclair

An éclair is an oblong pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with icing. The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is typically piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry is then filled with a vanilla-, coffee- or chocolate-flavoured[1] custard (crème pâtissière), or with whipped cream, or chiboust cream; and then iced with fondant icing.[1] Other fillings include pistachio- and rum-flavoured custard, fruit-flavoured fillings, or chestnut purée. The icing is sometimes caramel, in which case the dessert may be called a bâton de Jacob.[2]

Etymology

Bakers in Belgium using a machine to make éclairs

The word comes from French éclair 'flash of lightning', so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash).[3]

History

The éclair originated during the nineteenth century in France where it was called "pain à la Duchesse"[4] or "petite duchesse" until 1850.[5] It is a popular member of the pie family served all over the world. The word is first attested both in English and in French in the 1860s.[6][7] Some food historians speculate that éclairs were first made by Antonin Carême (1784–1833), the famous French chef. The first known English-language recipe for éclairs appears in the Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Mrs. D.A. Lincoln, published in 1884.

North America

Some pastry chains in the United States and Canada[8] market Long John doughnuts as éclairs or éclair doughnuts. Long Johns are not identical with éclairs, as Long Johns use doughnut pastry, which is yeast-risen or batter-derived, rather than choux dough, which is steam-puffed. Long Johns are usually filled with vanilla pudding or custard and topped with cake icing.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Montagné, Prosper, Larousse gastronomique: the new American edition of the world's greatest culinary encyclopedia, Jenifer Harvey Lang, ed., New York: Crown Publishers, 1988, p. 401 ISBN 978-0-517-57032-6
  2. ↑ (Montagné 1961, p. 365, Éclair)
  3. ↑ Éclair, Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 8th edition
  4. ↑ (Gouffé 1873, p. 288)
  5. ↑ (Montagné 1961, p. 357, Duchesses)
  6. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, 1861. Petit Larousse, 1863.
  7. ↑ Gouffé, Jules (1873). "Entremets détachés". Le Livre de Pâtisserie (PDF) (in French). Paris: Hachette. p. 288. Retrieved 2009-03-24. On a changé, depuis une vingtaine d'années, le nom de ces gâteaux [pains à la duchesse] : on les désigne actuellement sous le nom d'éclairs.
  8. ↑ https://www.krispykreme.com/menu/Doughnuts/Strawberry-Shortcake-Eclair

Bibliography

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