Ingredients
Choux pastry:
- 125g milk
- 125g water
- 110g butter
- 10ml sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 140g cake flour, sifted
- 220g eggs
Crème pâtissière:
- 1000g milk
- 100g butter
- 120g castor sugar
- 20 teabags, rooibos
- 45g corn flour, sifted
- 45g cake flour, sifted
- 120g castor sugar
- 240g egg yolks
Garnish
- 3 teabags, rooibos
- 60ml water, boiling
- 500g icing sugar, sifted
- 250g raspberries, fresh
Preparation method
Choux pastry:
- Preheat oven to 200 C
- Prepare trays with baking paper and draw 15cm lines for the éclairs
- Combine the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt over medium heat
- Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to the boil
- Add sifted flour and whisk quickly for 30 seconds
- Return to the heat and cook until dry (1 minute)
- Transfer to a stand mixer bowl and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds
- Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down half way
- Pipe 14-15 éclairs and use a wet finger to push down stray points of dough
- Bake for 12 minutes , turn oven down to 170 C and bake for a further 40 minutes
- Remove from the oven, poke holes in the bottom and allow to cool
Crème pâtissière:
- Combine the milk (all but 250ml), butter, 120g sugar and tea over medium heat
- Combine the corn flour, cake flour, 120g sugar, yolks and the remaining 250ml milk
- Whisk together until pale
- Once the milk mix has boiled, strain into the egg mixture, whisking constantly
- Return to the pan and heat, whisking constantly until it begins to thicken
- Remove from heat and whisk until a uniform thick custard forms
- Return to the heat and cook for about 1 minute, whisking, to cook out the flours
- Strain onto a clingfilm-wrapped baking tray and cover with clingfilm
- Place in the freezer for 10 minutes
- Once cool, whisk, then cover the surface with clingfilm and refrigerate
Garnish
- Pour the boiling water over the rooibos teabags and let steep for 5 minutes
- Cut open the éclairs and place the tops on a wire rack
- Add 1 teaspoon of the tea at a time to the icing sugar, to make a thick glace
- Ice the tops of éclairs, then place freeze-dried raspberry on the wet glace icing
- Allow to set for 5 minutes
- Pipe the crème pâtissière on the bottoms of the éclairs
- Cut the raspberries in half, placing them on top of the crème pâtissière
- Place the tops on the piped éclairs and plate/serve