The basis for an increasingly common dessert such as eclair is puff pastry. To be blunt and honest, puff pastry is a nightmare to make in most cases, as it rarely succeeds on the first try. The dough must be heated on a baking tray ready for baking, and it must be piped with a piping bag during preparation.
The dough must therefore be thick, but still thin enough to be piped through the nozzle. At the same time, it must keep its shape so that it does not crumble. If it does, it is too thin. This means that the process has to be started again. But, if too much of the recipe is followed during the preparation, this should not happen. There is one more secret or step that is very important and should not be skipped. We don''t usually do this when making other desserts, so it''s easy to forget. After 20 or 30 minutes, when the crust is sufficiently dry and firm, you can open the oven and quickly pull out the dough. Prick each mound a few times with a toothpick and bake the eclairs for a few more minutes. This allows the steam to escape from the dough and prevents the dough from becoming wet and too juicy later.
This time, we''ll fill the eclairs with caramelised banana cream, but you can also add BAM spreads or toppings. For more recipes and flavour combinations, check out the BAM Recipe Book - Modern Desserts.