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Megans Cookin: Daring Baker's Chocolate Eclairs

Monday, September 1, 2008

Daring Baker's Chocolate Eclairs

I was excited to make the Daring Bakers challenge this month but, again, I procrastinated. And I learned a lesson. Quit procrastinating!!!
I waited till the very last evening possible, to make my eclairs. No wiggle room for error. But I had every bit of confidence that this would go smoothly. I mean, it's not like it's the first time I ever made a Choux pastry. That's fancy talk for a cream puff dough!


Was I confident or cocky? That is the real question. You see, I made my dough. I piped it out, bake it, and cooled it. All was fine. But then I was combing through my 5 pages of instructions, looking for the pastry cream ingredients, and my eyes saw something I didn't see before. The cream puff dough called for five eggs and I only used three. Where did I get 3 eggs in my head? Can't I read? And it was sooo hot. I had to do it on a day when the temperature outside was 109. What was I thinking? Or... Was I thinking?

So I redid the dough using 5 eggs. I made them, I piped them, and I baked them. All was fine when I brought them out of the oven. They looked perfect! I was doing good! Then I turned around. One second was all it took for my beautiful cream puffs to fall. They fell flat. I threw them out!

Wasn't I just talking about self confidence? Well, I felt deflated as well. I was hot, tired, and pissed. I was gonna do it a third time being that the third time is a charm, but I didn't have enough eggs. So I moved on to the pastry cream.

Now that stuff is a dream. I made mine with a vanilla bean instead of chocolate, being I have an abundance of vanilla. But I believe I might have ate just a tad bit to much straight from the bowl. Either that, or, the recipe just doesn't make enough. Yea, that's it. The recipe doesn't make enough. Be sure you double that part of the recipe. To be sure you have enough! :)

O.k.... It was like 8 o'clock at night and I had some chocolate eclair monsters yelling at me. "Where. is. my. eclair?" That did not make a hot, tired, crabby person any happier. I'll give ya a cream puff alright. Well, at this point in the game, I made a simple ganache and threw a few desserts together. My daughter said, "They're beautiful" She is so sweet! I wonder what she wants.

So the next day, with the pastry cream gone, I piped a few eclairs with whip cream as per request from one friend. She loved them. They did look pretty but I wanted pretty with pastry cream. I wasn't about to make more and have all those calories around again. No sirree! I was done. Threw in the towel. Moving on!




I boxed the few eclairs for my friend and delivered them. Presentation is half of it, right?



Thank you Meeta and Tony for picking this challenge. I have a feeling this recipe will be made again here, soon. I have a few birthdays coming up and what says I'm thinking of you like a few eclairs?

Note to Karri-Sorry I didn't get any eclairs to you. I'll make it up to you! Did you freeze my zuchinni bread? LOL


More Daring Bakers challenges:
Danish Braid
Opera Cake
Cheesecake Pops
The Perfect Party CakeJulia Child's French Bread
Lemon Meringue Pie
Buche de Noel
Potato Bread
Bostini

Labels:

15 Comments:

Blogger April said...

Kelli was correct, they are beautiful!!

September 1, 2008 at 5:52 PM  
Blogger glamah16 said...

These were fun to make but dangerous to eat. You did the right think. I remeber you had all that great vanilla bean and I can see why you ate it from the bowl.:-)

September 1, 2008 at 8:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually I had forgotten all about the eclairs, but yes, yes I did freeze your zucchini bread. And I don't want no stinkin' whip cream in mine, I want the pastry cream!

Karri

September 1, 2008 at 8:09 PM  
Blogger Barbara Bakes said...

Your story made me smile! I would love to receive just a beautiful gift!

September 1, 2008 at 8:24 PM  
Blogger Maryanna said...

I should have left out 2 eggs. Maybe next time. I'm laughing so hard at your comment about not having enough custard filling b/c you kept eating it. I had the same problem. Um, I mean mine didn't make enough either.

September 1, 2008 at 9:31 PM  
Blogger Teresa Cordero Cordell said...

Megan, your eclairs look beautiful. You did a great job. You daring bakers are so cool. Thanks for visiting my chocolate blog. I really apprecite it. Talk to you again soon.

September 1, 2008 at 9:32 PM  
Blogger T’s Treats said...

They look great! I love the box for your friend, adorable!

September 2, 2008 at 7:31 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Baking in 109 degree weather, wow, you are a tropper. Your eclairs looked great. Glad you squeezed them in.

September 2, 2008 at 7:51 AM  
Blogger BC said...

Ohhh, the pastry cream was divine... we ate a lot of it with spoon too.

September 2, 2008 at 9:27 AM  
Blogger Cristine said...

Your eclairs look great and the presentation is lovely.

Thanks for your comment! I wouldn't say the Nutella was the work of a genius... Just the work of someone who tries to put Nutella in EVERYTHING! HA HA!

Great job!

September 2, 2008 at 10:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love the boxed up eclairs- I want some! haha. I had two different friends over at two different times and served them eclairs- perfect for a little tea or dinner! One friend is gluten-free and the other isn't but they both loved them!

-Sea

September 2, 2008 at 2:52 PM  
Blogger Carla said...

Actually, when you look at them in that cute heart box, they do look beautiful.

I was reading other DB's posts and one of the comments someone left was you have to poke them with a fork so they don't deflate because a lot of DB eclairs deflated. I wouldn't know anything about this, but you could try it next time.

September 2, 2008 at 4:11 PM  
Blogger Tiffany @ Lattes And Life said...

Aw, I had bum eclairs as well. (But I made a fantastic cake out of the pastry cream and glaze!!! LOL!)I plan to re-attempt these another day. We'll have to compare.

September 2, 2008 at 6:04 PM  
Blogger priscilla joy said...

yummy, they look great! i absolutely love eclairs!

September 2, 2008 at 6:44 PM  
Blogger Deborah said...

I procrastinated so much that I didn't even make mine!! Yours look great, and I'm sure I would have eaten every single one.

September 3, 2008 at 11:59 AM  

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