Recipe - Chocolate Grand Marnier Eclairs

ECLAIR DOUGH
3 lg Eggs; at room temperature
2/3 cup Water
5 tablespoon Unsalted butter; cut into
1/2inch cubes
1/8 teaspoon Salt
2/3 cup Sifted allpurpose flour
One half teaspoon Orange zest
CHOCOLATE GRAND MARNIER
FILLING:
3 ounce Semisweet chocolate;
coarsely chopped
3 tablespoon Water
2 tablespoon Grand Marnier
2 tablespoon Cold water
1 One half teaspoon Unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup Heavy cream

ORANGE GLAZE
1 tablespoon Orange juice
One half cup Confectioners' sugar

Make the eclairs: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to
425 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. In a glass
measuring cup, stir the eggs with a fork until blended. Pour approximately
2 tablespoons of the beaten eggs into a small cup, leaving One half cup of the
egg mixture in the measuring cup. In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the
water, butter and salt. Over medium heat, stirring occasionally, heat the
water mixture until the butter has melted. Increase the heat to mediumhigh
and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a wire
whisk, stir in the flour. Whisk vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds, until the
mixture is smooth and pulls away from the side of the pan. Return the pan
to the heat and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook for 30 to 60
seconds, until the paste forms a very smooth ball. Stir in orange zest.
Transfer the paste to a large bowl. Pour the reserved One half cup of beaten
eggs over the paste and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 45 to 60
seconds, until the mixture forms a smooth, soft dough. The dough should
hold its shape when scooped up with a spoon but be soft enough to slowly
slide off the spoon when tilted. If the dough does not slide off the spoon,
add One half tablespoon of the reserved egg mixture, beat until smooth and
retest the dough with a spoon. The remaining 1 One half to 2 tablespoons of egg
will be used to glaze the tops of the eclairs before they are baked. Fill a
pastry bag fitted with a 5/6inch plain tip (such as Ateco #3) with the
eclair dough. Pipe 5inch strips approximately 1/2inch wide on the
prepared baking sheets. Leave about 1 One half inches between eclairs. Dip your
finger in some of the remaining beaten egg and gently smooth down any
"tails" left from piping. Lightly brush the tops of the eclairs with more
of the egg. Bake the eclairs, one baking sheet at a time, for 10 minutes,
propping the oven door open about 2 inches with the handle of a wooden
spoon. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and close the oven
door. Continue baking the eclairs for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are
crisp. Transfer the eclairs to a wire rack and cool completely. The eclairs
may be prepared up to this point and stored in an airtight container at
room temperature for one day or in the freezer for up to one month. Make
the ChocolateGrand Marnier filling: Melt the chocolate with the water and
Grand Marnier according to the directions in the Chocolate Melting Tips.
Place the cold water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the
water and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Place
the saucepan over low heat and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly
with a wooden spoon, until the gelatin granules dissolve completely and the
mixture is clear. Allow the mixture to cool until tepid. In a chilled 4
1/2quart bowl of a heavyduty electric mixer, using the wire whip
attachment, begin to whip the heavy cream at low speed. While continuing to
whip the cream, gradually add the cooled gelatin mixture to the cream in a
slow stream. Stop the mixer and scrape down the side of the bowl with a
rubber spatula. Add the cooled melted chocolate mixture and continue to
whip the cream, increasing the speed to medium, until it begins to mound.
Do not overwhip. Cover the surface of the filling with plastic wrap and
chill for 30 minutes. Make the glaze: In a small bowl whisk together the
orange juice and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Assemble and glaze the
eclairs: Poke a hole in each end of the eclairs with a skewer. Fill a
pastry bag fitted with a 1/6inch plain tip (such as Ateco #1) with the
Grand Marnier filling. Insert the tip of the pastry bag into the hole at
each end of the eclair and fill with some of the filling. Repeat with
remaining eclairs. Drizzle the orange glaze over the top of each eclair.
Garnish with strips of orange peel, if desired.

YIELD: 8 eclairs

PREPARATION: 1 One half hours plus cooking, baking, cooling and chilling times.
Posted to recipeludigest Volume 01 Number 451 by "Bunny"
layla696@ix.netcom.com on Jan 4, 1998