Let me share my favorite way to make strawberry eclairs! I've perfected these delicate French pastries filled with silky strawberry custard and topped with pretty pink chocolate. The light choux pastry combined with fresh strawberry filling creates the most heavenly bite. Trust me once you master these everyone will think you're a professional pastry chef.
A Sweet Piece of History
These lovely pastries first graced French kitchens in the 1800s when a talented chef named Marie Antoine Carême created them for the royal court. While they started as simple custard-filled treats they've evolved into countless creative versions. I love how they made their way into American kitchens appearing in the beloved Boston Cooking School Cookbook of 1884.
What You'll Need in Your Kitchen
- Strawberry Filling: Fresh strawberries sugar egg yolks pure vanilla milk heavy cream a cornstarch slurry and good butter.
- For the Pastry: Your basic flour eggs sugar butter water and salt.
- Egg Wash: Just egg and water mixed together for shine.
- The Pretty Top: White chocolate and pink coloring for that perfect finish.
Let's Bake Together
- Start With the Filling
- Cook those lovely strawberries with sugar milk and cream. Add your cornstarch mix to thicken then stir in butter and vanilla. Pop it in the fridge to get nice and cold.
- Time for Magic Pastry
- Get your water sugar and butter boiling then mix in flour until smooth. Let it cool a bit then beat in your eggs one at a time. Pipe long strips onto your baking sheet.
- Into the Oven
- Start hot at 425°F for 15 minutes then lower to 375°F for another 20-25 minutes. Let them cool completely.
- The Fun Part
- Fill those pastries with your strawberry cream then dip them in pink-tinted white chocolate. They're ready to enjoy!
Mix It Up
Sometimes I fill them with vanilla pudding or chocolate ganache instead. Crushed freeze-dried strawberries make a beautiful decoration and lately I've been experimenting with raspberry and cherry versions. You can even make one giant eclair cake using this recipe!
Making Life Easier
You can make both the pastry and filling ahead just keep them in sealed containers in your fridge. Let everything come to room temperature before you put them together. If you have any leftovers they'll stay good in the fridge for about 3 days.
A Little Pastry Know-How
People often mix up eclairs and cream puffs but they're actually quite different. Eclairs are long and elegant filled with rich custard while cream puffs are round and usually filled with whipped cream. Both are amazing in their own way and so fun to customize with different flavors.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why do you need to cook the flour mixture on the stove?
This process creates a paste called 'panade' which helps create the hollow center and crisp outside of the eclairs.
- Can I use store-bought custard?
Yes, you can use store-bought custard and add strawberry flavoring, though homemade will taste better and fresher.
- Why did my eclairs deflate?
Opening the oven door too early can cause deflating. Wait until they're golden brown before checking them.
- How long do these keep?
They're best eaten within 24 hours of filling. The unfilled shells can be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Can I make these ahead?
You can make the shells and custard ahead, but wait to fill and glaze until the day you'll serve them.