Choux pastry: Chocolate éclairs

1. preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. add 250ml of water to a pan with the butter and a pinch of salt and heat to a boil.
3. remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the plain flour until the mixture is coming away from the sides of the pan.
4. transfer to a Kenwood Chef with whisk attachment and whisk in the eggs one at a time until completely incorporated and glossy.
5. transfer the mixture to a piping bag.
6. pipe the pastry into lines approximately 10cm long and 2cm wide on a lined or non-stick baking tray, keeping plenty of space between them.
7. bake the pastry for 15 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown.
8. beat the egg yolks for the pastry cream with the sugar and vanilla in a bowl.
9. whisk the flour and cornflour into the egg mixture.
10. heat the milk in a pan to a boil.
11. remove the milk from the heat and pour over the egg mixture, whisking continuously.
12. return the custard to the pan and gently cook until it thickens and is not at all runny, unlike crème anglaise this can bubble and boil since the flour stabilises it.
13. put the pastry cream in the fridge to cool.
14. blitz a handful of the raspberries to a purée and stir through the cooled and stiff pastry cream to loosen it and turn it pink.
15. slice the cooled éclairs lengthways, about half way through to create a pocket.
16. spoon the raspberry cream into a piping bag and pipe into the pocket and then push a couple of whole raspberries into each one.
17. melt the chocolate in a microwave for about 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds.
18. dip the top of the éclairs into the chocolate and put them aside to set.

makes 20