I made these éclairs, and much like everything else that I make, with the intention of sharing it with my family so that they may enjoy it. Even though I make things for them all the time, there was a special occasion to be celebrated for one of the most important people in my life. In the end I decided it called for a slightly more special treat. Unfortunately, these didn’t turn out the way that I would have wanted. Bluntly put, I burnt my éclairs to a tragic crisp. But thank goodness the mocha pastry cream was there to salvage it. (Boy, that pastry cream is the bomb!) Because I actually didn’t feel bad about “failing” for once when I had a taste of this.
As per my usual practice, I put an éclair on a nice plate and brought it to my Papa. Before I handed it to him, I warned him and apologized about the outcome of the éclairs. Crunchy éclairs, I called it. And as per his usual practice, he eats the thing without a word of complaint. “It’s still good,” he says as he finishes off the last bite. (Guess he’s used to this sort of thing already, since being a regular taste-tester to my “creations” is an occupational hazard that comes with being my Dad. Heehee.)
I guess he wasn’t lying, because the éclairs didn’t stick around for even an hour over here. Everybody in the house grabbed a piece (some of my brothers had a couple), and suddenly they were all gone. Choux pastry seems to be my Achilles’ Heel. Remember the pain time and trials it took me before I could actually make cream puffs? Those are my Dad’s favourites so I stubbornly pursued them, but thankfully relentlessness can be fruitful more often than not. This time I wanted to make éclairs for a change.
