Banana custard eclairs
By Cassie Best (BBC Good Food)
Give these afternoon tea classics a fruity makeover with a creamy banana custard filling – perfect for a sophisticated spread.
Ingredients
- banana chips, to decorate (optional)
- edible gold spray or leaf, to decorate (optional)
- 200 gr white chocolate, finely chopped
For the choux pastry
- 85 gr lightly salted butter, chopped into small cubes
- 100 gr plain flour
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
For the banana custard
- 2 overripe bananas
- 100 gr golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp custard powder
- 300 ml milk
- 150 ml double cream
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste (we like this for the seeds, but use extract if you like)
Method
- Put the butter in a saucepan with 225ml water. Weigh the flour in a large bowl and set aside.
- Bring the butter and water to a fast boil with a pinch of salt, simmer until the butter has melted, then tip in the flour and beat like mad with a wooden spoon until the mixture is pulling away from the sides of the pan and is lump-free.
- Tip into the bowl and spread the thick paste up the sides a little to help it cool quickly, then leave for 10 mins.
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cut 2 pieces of baking parchment to fit 2 baking sheets.
- Using a ruler and a pen, mark 12 lines about 9cm long over each piece, leaving plenty of space between the lines.
- Flip the parchment over. Fit a piping bag with a large round piping nozzle, about 1.5cm wide.
- When the flour paste has cooled but is not cold, start adding the egg, bit by bit, beating well between each addition until you have a smooth batter, which will reluctantly drop off the end of your spoon.
- You may not need to use all the egg, so add it slowly.
- Transfer to your piping bag and use a little of the mixture to stick the parchment to your trays.
- Pipe the choux onto the baking sheet, using the lines as a guide. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 30 mins until the choux is puffed and golden.
- Swap the trays around for the final 5 mins. The choux should be crisp and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- You may wish to sacrifice 1 eclair to make sure that the inside is completely dried out; if it is still moist, the eclairs will sink when cooling.
- Once baked, leave to cool completely. Can be made 1 day ahead – store in a sealed container, and reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins to crisp up before filling.
- Now make the banana custard. Put the bananas, sugar and lemon juice in a food processor and whizz to a purée.
- Pour into a saucepan and bubble for a few mins until thickened.
- Mix the custard powder with 2-3 tbsp of the milk to make a smooth paste, then add the remaining milk, cream and vanilla, and stir well.
- Pour the custard mixture into the banana purée and continue cooking, whisking, until very thick and smooth.
- Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and chill for 2 hrs, or until cold.
- Pick out 24 nice banana chips and place on a tray lined with parchment.
- Spray with edible gold spray or cover with a little gold leaf, if you like. When you’re ready to assemble the eclairs, split each one along one side.
- Transfer the banana custard to a disposable piping bag and snip off the corner. Fill the eclairs generously with the custard, lining up on a tray as you go.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, stirring every 20 secs or so to prevent it from burning.
- When the eclairs are filled, carefully dip the top of each one into the chocolate, letting any excess drip back into the bowl.
- Place a gold banana chip on each eclair and set back on the tray for 30 mins or so to set. Serve within 3 hrs.