RECIPE: RASPBERRY, ROSE WATER & WHITE CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

PREP TIME: 30 minutes plus cooling

COOK TIME: 30 minutes

Serves 12

Ingredients:

Choux pastry

65g unsalted butter

100g strong bread flour

3 large Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs, cracked into a jug

Pinch salt

Filling

350ml double cream

Rose water

Vanilla paste

250g fresh raspberries

1 tablespoon icing sugar

Topping

200g good quality white chocolate

Sugared rose petals (optional)

2 teaspoons freeze dried raspberries, crushed

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200c (fan)/ 400 f/ gas mark 6. Line 2 baking sheets with

greaseproof paper. Mark 6 x evenly spaced 12cm lines on each sheet of greaseproof. These lines will act as a guide for piping the eclairs. Have a large piping

bag ready fitted with a large round nozzle.

Place the butter and 150ml water in a large saucepan and put on a medium heat

until the butter has melted, allow the water to come to the boil and as soon as it does

switch off the heat and then quickly tip all of the flour into the pan at once. As quickly

as possible mix everything together with a wooden spoon, as you mix you’ll see the

lumpy dough transform into a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the

pan. Mix most of the egg into the pan a little at a time mixing well and looking for the

desired “dropping” consistency.

Transfer the mixture to the piping bag and pipe the mixture confidently along the

drawn lines. Once the mixture is piped place the trays in the oven and bake for 10

minutes. After that time reduce the heat to 180c and bake for a further 10 - 15

minutes or until golden and well risen. Turn off the oven and leave the eclairs to

harden a little for 5 minutes. Make a little slit in the end of each eclair to allow the

steam to escape and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile pick 12 perfect raspberries to one side and place the rest of the

raspberries in a small mixing bowl with the icing sugar and add a few drops of rose

water. Mash through a small sieve into a bowl and place to one side. Meanwhile

place the double cream into a large mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

and whisk to soft peaks. Ripple through half of the sieved raspberry and place the

rest to one side.

To prepare the cream for piping, place a few tablespoons in a piping bag with a wide

nozzle and spoon in 1 teaspoon raspberry coulis, add more cream and a little more

coulis followed by the rest of the cream. Keep the rest of the coulis for drizzling.

Either pipe the cream into the cooled eclairs or cut them in half and pipe the cream

down the centre to make a sandwich. Repeat with all the eclairs and place them

back on the cooling rack.

Meanwhile, break up the white chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl over a

small pan of simmering water on the hob. Stir until melted. Take the bowl off the heat

and carefully dip each eclair into the chocolate at a 45 degree angle to coat the top.

Place a raspberry on top of each eclair and sprinkle over the dehydrated raspberry

and rose petal (if using). Place the eclairs back on the cooling rack and allow to set

in the fridge or in a cool place for around 30 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of

remaining coulis.

Eat on the same day, these don’t really keep very well but would survive 1 night in a

covered container in the fridge. You can make the pastry cases in advance and

freeze, defrost fully before filling with cream and topping.