'Duchesse' Strawberries and Cream Eclairs

The first thing we ate in Paris were pastries. After checking into our Airbnb, we walked down the street toward the Opera and the Galleries Lafayette and stopped at the first good looking boulangerie we saw: Jean Nöel Julien. We bought a lemon meringue tart, a canelle, and a long eclair with Chantilly cream and strawberries. 

Ever since then, I've wanted to recreate the simple deliciousness of the eclair, which they sold under the name 'Duchesse'.

I found pearl sugar at my local specialty foods store, but I've also seen it for sale at Sur la Table. If you don't have either option in your area, you can easily find it on Amazon. 

Duchesse

Makes 16 Eclairs

1 cup of pearl sugar

3 cups of heavy whipping cream, chilled

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 qt of ripe strawberries, hulled and halved

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Add the water, butter, salt, and sugar to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once the butter is completely melted, add all the flour at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is incorporated. Cook over high heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly until the dough thickens and pulls away from the sides and bottom of the pan, forming a ball. 

Off the heat, add the eggs one at a time and incorporate completely before adding the next one. 

Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/2" round tip with the dough. Pipe in onto baking sheets lined with parchment in 4"x1" lengths. Don't make them any wider or they will be squat. Smooth the ends and tops with a wet finger. Sprinkle the tops generously with pearl sugar and press the bits lightly into the surface to keep them from falling off. 

Bake for 20 minutes at 425F, then drop the temperature to 375F and back for 15-20 minutes more. Once they are puffed and golden brown, remove them from the oven and pierce them, then turn the oven off and put them back in for 10 minutes. This will help cook and dry out the centers so they hold their shape once they're cooled. 

Let the eclairs cool completely on wire racks, then slice them open.

Meanwhile, whip the cream into stiff peaks. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the cream and pipe swirls or shells inside the shells. Add 3 or 4 strawberry slices to each eclair. 

Serve immediately.