Recipe courtesy of Anne Burrell

Sweet Corn, White Chocolate, Strawberry and Pickled Jalapeño Eclairs

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 1 hr 30 min
  • Active: 1 hr 15 min
  • Yield: 6 eclairs
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Ingredients

Pickled Jalapeños:

Pâte à Choux:

Sweet Corn Pastry Cream:

Glaze:

Serving:

Directions

Special equipment:
2 pastry bags, large round pastry tip such as Ateco 808, small round pastry tip
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. For the pickled jalapeños: Place the sugar, vinegar, salt and 1/2 cup water in a container. Shake to combine, then add the jalapeños and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
  3. For the pâte à choux: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water with the butter, cinnamon and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has formed a ball, has a slightly sweaty sheen to it and has pulled away from the pan.
  4. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools down, 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture does not have to be cold, just cool enough not to cook the eggs when added in the next step.
  5. Beat in 2 eggs, 1 at a time. Do not add the second egg until the first is fully incorporated. Check the consistency of the batter; it should fall off the spoon in a smooth, elastic stream. If it does not, whisk the third egg in a separate bowl, add half to the batter and beat until smooth. Check the consistency again and add the other half, if needed.
  6. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe six 4-inch-long eclairs onto the prepared sheet pan, making sure to leave at least 1 inch between each eclair. They grow! Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes, then set aside to cool.
  7. For the sweet corn pastry cream: Meanwhile, whisk 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and the cornstarch in a small bowl until there are no lumps. Set the slurry aside.
  8. Place 4 cups of the heavy cream, 1 cup of the sugar and 2 teaspoons of the vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to low and allow it to come to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally.
  9. Meanwhile, place the eggs and remaining 1 cup sugar in a large bowl and beat aggressively with a whisk until the mixture thickens and turns pale yellow. When the cream comes to a boil, remove from the heat. Whisk half of it into the egg-sugar mixture, then immediately whisk the cream-egg-sugar mixture back into the saucepan of hot cream. Turn the heat to medium and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, then gradually whisk in the reserved slurry.
  10. Cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a pudding. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Place the bowl in an ice bath until the pastry cream is completely cool, at least 10 minutes.
  11. Place the corn kernels, remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a medium saucepan. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender, add half the pastry cream and blend until smooth. Fold the mixture into the remaining pastry cream, then transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Set the bag with the sweet corn pastry cream aside.
  12. For the glaze: Set up a double boiler over medium heat. Place the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over the boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate has melted.
  13. For serving: Cut a small hole in the end of each eclair using a paring knife, then fill the eclairs with the sweet corn pastry cream. Pour the melted white chocolate over the eclairs, then arrange the fresh strawberries, freeze-dried strawberries and pickled jalapeños on top.

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