We grew up with chocolate éclairs, and every now and then we try to recreate some of those morsels of sweet nostalgia from our youth. Adding quince to the chocolate provides a little more ‘bite’, and shows it was baked today and not in 1980.

method

Preheat the oven to 220ºC (425ºF).

Line two baking trays with baking paper. Spoon the mixture into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a 1.5 cm (⅝ inch) nozzle. Pipe 8 cm (3¼ inch) lines straight onto the baking trays.

Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the trays around and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150ºC (300ºF).

The pastries will still be slightly soft at this stage, so pierce each end with a skewer and return to the oven for 15 minutes to dry. Remove from
the oven and allow to cool completely.

For a traditional finish, take your éclairs and poke a hole in each end with a sharp round skewer about 3 mm (⅛ inch) in diameter, pushing through on the second end to form a hollow tube in the centre. Fit a small nozzle to your piping bag, then carefully fill the éclairs from both ends with your cream of choice.

Alternatively, you could use a sharp serrated knife to cut lengthways through one side of the éclairs and butterfly them apart, then fill them with your cream of choice.

Now turn all your éclairs upside down —yes, upside down! The flat straight line on the bottom is now the top. Dip this into the chocolate glaze, being careful not to go deeper than the edge of the flat base, and use your finger to dab off any excess that threatens to run down the sides. Rest your éclairs on a tray for about 10 minutes to set the glaze.

Decoratively pipe some melted chocolate on top and you’re ready to eat!

Your éclairs are best enjoyed the same day.