Banana Custard Eclairs Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, sugar and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until dough is smooth and shiny. , Insert a 3/4-in. round tip into a pastry bag; add dough. Pipe 3-in. strips about 3 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Immediately split puffs open; remove tops and set aside. Discard soft dough from inside. Cool puffs. , In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, mash bananas; gently fold in whipped cream. Spoon into eclairs; replace tops. , In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, butter and vanilla. Add enough water to make a thin glaze. Spread over eclairs. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• For the choux paste: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bring the water, milk, butter, sugar and salt to a simmer over medium heat in a medium saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to a boil, add the flour, stirring constantly, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let the dough cool for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed to allow the dough to cool, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, with the mixer on medium speed. When all the eggs have been incorporated, scrape the dough into a pastry bag fitted with your desired tip.
• Pipe the dough into 4 1/2-by-3/4-inch lengths on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. You should end up with about 15 eclairs. With a damp fingertip, flatten any points. Bake until eclairs are deep golden brown and puffed, rotating the sheets halfway through, 22 to 25 minutes. They should be very light and crisp. Turn the oven off.
• Poke each eclair on either end with a toothpick to allow some steam to release. Return the eclairs to the oven, prop the door open a crack and allow them to dry out, about 15 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the eclairs to cool completely.
• For the chocolate glaze: Meanwhile, bring the cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and mix in the chocolate, cocoa powder and honey. Whisk until the chocolate has completely melted. Transfer to a medium bowl and allow the glaze to cool and thicken.
• For the pastry cream: Add the milk, vanilla bean and salt to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch until thick, pale and smooth. Remove the vanilla bean pod from the hot milk and scrape the seeds into the milk, discarding the pod. Temper the hot milk into the egg mixture by slowly pouring it in while whisking constantly. When combined, pour back into the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
• Stir continuously until thickened, then remove from the heat and mix in the butter and vanilla extract. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then set a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour.
• For the caramelized bananas: When the pastry cream is almost ready, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat. Stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl, then pour into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Place the bananas cut-side down on the cinnamon sugar, coating them as much as you can. Using a paring knife or fork, poke the skin of the bananas a few times to allow steam to release. Bake until completely caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before gently flipping them over.
• Remove the bananas from their skins and discard the skins. Place the roasted bananas in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add the pastry cream and puree until smooth. Pour into a pastry bag fitted with a small metal tip.
• For the garnish: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Add the peanuts and salt and toast together, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet tray to drain any excess fat. When cooled slightly, roughly chop the mixture.
• To serve, poke a small hole in both ends of each eclair using a paring knife. Fill the eclairs from both ends with the banana pastry cream. Dip the tops in the chocolate glaze, allowing any excess to drip off. Lightly sprinkle with the bacon and peanut garnish.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the egg mixture, then pour all the egg mixture into the pan with the milk. Over medium low heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens slightly and will coat the back of a spoon. Do not allow to boil.
• Place the bananas in a food processor and pulse to a smooth puree. Add the warm custard mixture and pulse 2 to 3 times, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until the mixture is evenly blended. Cool the custard to room temperature, then place in an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturers instructions. Serve in cups, covered with Uncle Bill's hot fudge sauce and garnish with a few raspberries and a sprig of mint.

Steps:

• Start by making the custard filling. Heat the milk until almost boiling in a saucepan. Meanwhile, mix together the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla in a bowl, then stir in the flours, a couple of tsp at a time, to a smooth paste.
• Gradually whisk in the hot milk, pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over a high heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 mins until thick - it will go alarmingly lumpy but don't worry, just keep stirring it vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.
• Lay a sheet of cling film directly on the custard surface, then cool and chill until you're ready to fill the buns.
• To make the choux buns, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Sift the flour with the sugar and a pinch of salt into a small bowl. Put the milk and butter into a medium saucepan with 125ml water and gently heat so the butter melts but the liquid doesn't bubble.
• Once the butter has completely melted, increase the heat until the liquid comes to a fast rolling boil. Immediately turn off the heat, tip in the sifted flour and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until you a have a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the pan. Spread over a large dinner plate to cool to hand temperature.
• Allow to cool for a few minutes, then gradually add the eggs, mixing well between each addition until the mixture reluctantly drops off the spoon. Don't add all the egg unless you need to.
• Cut 2 large sheets of baking parchment. On each one draw 2 sets of 'track' lines with a 10cm gap - these will be your guidelines so your eclairs will all be roughly the same size. Use the paper to line 2 large baking sheets - penside down.
• Spoon your choux mixture into a piping bag with a 1cm star or round wide nozzle, or into a disposable piping bag with a similar-size hole snipped off for piping. Pipe 2 rows of well-spaced, squashed 'S' shapes on each sheet between the guidelines. Bake, one tray at a time, on a high-ish shelf for 25 mins, reducing temperature to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 as soon as they go in the oven.
• After 25 mins, poke a hole in the end of each bun, or using a small serrated knife, split down the middle and return to the oven, upside-down, to dry out for 5 mins until crisp and golden. Set aside to cool.
• While the buns are cooling, finish your filling. Whisk the cream until thick, then use your electric whisk to beat the cooled, set custard until just smooth again. Fold in the cream. Spoon your filling into a piping bag - use a small nozzle if you're filling the buns through the holes you've pierced, or a large nozzle if you've split the buns in half. Carefully pipe the custard into each cooled bun - they should feel heavy once full.
• Arrange the buns on a wire rack and spread each with a little of your chosen icing. If you can't decide, it's really easy to split your batch of choux buns, halve icing quantities, and make a selection to keep everyone happy. See the tip below for more icing flavours.