Chocolate Mousse Eclairs

I might be asking for trouble with this one because I get more hate mail (tongue in cheek, I hope) from posting something chocolate than anything else. I'll risk it because these Chocolate Mousse Éclairs are near the top of my list for chocolate indulgence. A definite must-try recipe for chocolate lovers.

Originally published on November 11, 2007.
For the éclair shells:

Bring to a boil over medium heat:

1 cup water
½ cup butter
¼ tsp salt

Add

1 cup flour

This will form a dough pretty quickly but continue to cook it for 3-4 minutes over medium low flame. If you don’t cook it enough at this stage, then your shells will not puff up enough.
Remove from heat and let cool almost down to room temp.
Add

4 eggs

one at a time, stirring well until completely incorporated after each egg. Chill.
When chilled, use a piping bag to pipe éclairs about 6 inches long and about 1 ½ inches in diameter on a lightly greased parchment lined baking sheet. You should get 10-12 éclairs from this recipe.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 35-45 minutes or longer depending upon your oven. You want to bake these until medium dark brown all over and well dried out in the center. Your éclair shells should not collapse when removed from the oven. Cool completely before filling with chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Mousse Filling

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 oz water
2 tablespoons butter (no subs)
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Whip your cream to soft peaks and chill in refrigerator.

Melt chocolate with butter on low heat, stirring until smooth.
Cool for
15 minutes.

In double boiler, whisk yolks, sugar and water.
Cook and stir over boiling water until mixture reaches 170 degrees F.
Remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate mixture. Place saucepan ina bowl of ice water and stir constantly until chocolate cools to about room temperature.
Fold in whipped cream.

Ganache Topping

3 tbsp whipping cream
½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Heat whipping cream in a small saucepan and add the chocolate chips, stirring until melted and smooth.

Use a spoon handle to poke holes in both ends of the éclair shells and move the handle around gently inside the shell to break up any walls that may have occurred while baking. This will make the shells much easier to fill. Using a piping bag with a large round or star tip, fill the éclairs with the chocolate mousse, filling half of the éclair from each end.

You can pipe the ganache topping onto the éclairs or just spread it on with a small spatula. Chill until serving.