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oday I’m making little chocolate and hazelnut deliciousness – choux craquelin filled with gianduia chocolate ganache, hazelnut whipped ganache and praliné paste! Yum!

C
ream puff is one of the most known desserts ever. It is a ball of baked choux pastry, cut and filled with Chantilly cream or crème pâtissière. These little sweet snacks are not difficult to make, especially if you already know how to make perfect pâte à choux. However, that won’t be enough for today’s recipe.

O
blong and elegant, simple, but sophisticated, éclair is one of the French classics. The combination of freshly baked, crispy pâte à choux shell, light crème pâtissière and sweet fondant icing is a symphony of flavors and textures for your taste buds. No wonder the French are so proud and sensitive about their éclairs! And when it comes to making them, you’ll learn that it’s always the most difficult task to achieve perfection within simplicity.

I
have a confession to make. Embarrassingly, I couldn’t ride a bicycle until just a few years ago, believe it or not! I couldn’t hold the balance, and I was scared of falling. Who likes to fall on the tarmac? Not me! At the same time, my nephew (age 4) learned the skill in one afternoon and became the ruler of the nearby parking lot! Although I can ride the bike now, there is another type of wheels that I prefer much more – the sweet, cream-filled ones!

T
here is one boutique I stumbled upon when I was sightseeing (read – searching for pastry shops) through Parisian district Marais that I’ve remembered very well because I have never seen something like that before – it was kind of a pastry shop, but again, it didn’t look like any other pastry shop anywhere! Long story short – it was a boutique of éclairs!
