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An éclair (, ; ) is a pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing. The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is typically piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry is filled with
The word comes from the French ''éclair'', meaning "flash of lightning", so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash); however some believe that the name is due to the glistening of the frosting resembling lightning.
A brief éclair history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eclair Belgian cuisine Custard desserts French pastries Choux pastry Chocolate-covered foods Stuffed desserts
An éclair (, ; ) is a pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing. The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is typically piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry is filled with custard
Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fro ...
(''crème pâtissière''), whipped cream or chiboust cream, then iced with fondant icing. Montagné, Prosper, '' Larousse gastronomique: the new American edition of the world's greatest culinary encyclopedia'', Jenifer Harvey Lang, ed., New York: Crown Publishers, 1988, p. 401 Other fillings include pistachio
The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food.
''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other sp ...
- and rum-flavoured custard, fruit-flavoured fillings, or chestnut
The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.
The unrelat ...
purée. The icing is sometimes caramel
Caramel ( or ) is an orange-brown confectionery product made by heating a range of sugars. It can be used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, or as a topping for ice cream and custard.
The process of caramelizatio ...
, in which case the dessert may be called a bâton de Jacob. A similar pastry in a round rather than oblong shape is called a Religieuse.
Etymology
The word comes from the French ''éclair'', meaning "flash of lightning", so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash); however some believe that the name is due to the glistening of the frosting resembling lightning.
History
The éclair originated during the nineteenth century in France where it was called "pain à la Duchesse" or "petite duchesse" until 1850. The word is first attested both in English and in French in the 1860s.North America
Dunkin Donuts markets Long John doughnuts as eclairs in the United States. National Eclair Day is celebrated on June 22 in the U.S.See also
* French cuisine * List of choux pastry dishes * List of custard desserts * List of French dessertsReferences
Bibliography
* *External links
A brief éclair history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eclair Belgian cuisine Custard desserts French pastries Choux pastry Chocolate-covered foods Stuffed desserts