1. Michelle Riffitts and Sarah Kopp
Éclairs
Michelle Riffitts and Sarah Kopp

2. The Ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1 cup water 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 1/2 cups cold milk
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons hot water

3. Step One
Preheat convection oven to 400° and put wax paper on cookie sheets

4. Step Two
In a saucepan place ½ cup butter and 1 cup water, bring to a boil and stir until butter is completely melted

5. Step Three
Add 1 cup flour and ¼ teaspoon salt to saucepan and stir vigorously until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

6. Step Four
Remove the mixture from heat. Add 4 eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

7. Step Five
Place mixture into a pastry bag. Pipe out onto cookie trays.

8. Step Six
Bake pastries for 20 minutes and cool afterwards.

9. Step Seven
While the pastries are baking, combine pudding mix and milk, following the instructions on the box (whisk 2 cups of milk and the pudding mix together).

10. Step Eight
Also while the pastries are cooking, mix ¼ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chip and 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan until melted.

11. Step Nine
After the chocolate is melted add 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Then add 3 tablespoons of hot water one at a time.

12. Step Ten
After the pastries have cooled, fill them with pudding and put the chocolate icing on top.

13. The Finished Product

14. History of Éclairs
The éclair was believed to be created in the early nineteenth century. This was about ninety years before Cyrano de Bergerac was written. The first time the word éclair was seen in an English dictionary was in The first time an English recipe was seen for éclairs was in Boston Cooking School Cook Book in Éclairs received their name they “glisten[s] when coated with confectioner's glaze”. The name éclair was fitting because éclair is the French word for lightning. The first éclairs were suspected to be made by Marie-Antoine Carême, a pastry chef for French royalty.

15. History of Eclairs
In éclairs a light pastry dough called pâte à choux is used. The dough was invented in 1540 by a chef named Panterelli. Panterelli used the dough for a cake and named it after himself. He called it “Pâte à Panterelli”. Over time the dough and name evolved and changed based on the recipes were used for. The dough was finally named “pâte à choux” because the dough resembled cabbages and the French word for cabbage is choux.

16. Works Cited
"Choux Pastry." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Feb Web. 21 Feb <
"Eclairs." Ferguson Plarre. Web. 20 Feb <
"Mini Desserts." : The History of Eclairs. Web. 20 Feb <
"Pâte à Choux." à La Carte. Web. 21 Feb <
The Inspiration for Our Recipe: