Amazing Churro Eclair Collaboration Recipe

A churro eclair, or Maximilien, as I like to call them is pretty much what it sounds like. When I was making churros, the dough was very similar to pate a choux. I had the thought of why not make Mexican hot chocolate pastry cream and put it in an eclair. While I might not be the first person to think of this idea I’m proud of myself regardless. I call them Maximilians since he was the emperor of Mexico in 1864. I was told he was French. But when I googled him to make sure I was spelling his name correctly, he was the archduke of Austria. Bummer, but I like the name so we’re sticking with it. On to the recipe!

Notes on Pastry Cream for the Churro Eclairs

First off is the pastry cream. The pastry cream needs to chill in the fridge before filling so it’s best to prepare the pastry cream first. Add the milk and cayenne to a saucepan and heat to a simmer. This infuses the heat into the milk so the churro eclairs will have the signature Mexican hot chocolate filling. Continue to heat for 3 minutes. While the milk is heating, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk vigorously until the mixture turns a pale yellow, around 2 minutes. Using a ladle, spoon the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. The idea is to temper the egg yolks so that when you add the mixture to the hot milk, the yolks don’t cook.

Add roughly half of the milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Next, stream the egg yolk mixture back into the hot milk, whisking constantly. Continue cooking for 3 minutes whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. The mixture should hold the marks of the whisk when it’s getting close. If you stop whisking, the mixture should begin to bubble after a few seconds.

Remove the mixture from the heat and place the mixture in a fine mesh sieve. Using the whisk, press the mixture through the sieve. Next, stir the butter into the mixture, one piece at a time. Continue whisking until all of the butter has been incorporated.

More Pastry Cream Notes

The chocolate can now be incorporated into the pastry cream. It’s a good idea to chop the chips as small as possible so that they melt into the pastry cream easily. Chop the chocolate early so it can be quickly added to the pastry cream while it’s still warm.

Taste and add more cayenne depending on how spicy you want your churro eclairs to be. Be warned that the cayenne will strengthen if stored in the fridge. Keep that in mind if you’re making the pastry cream ahead of time.

Next, transfer the mixture to a storage container and place a piece of cling film over the top of the mixture to prevent a film from forming. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours. Once the mixture has chilled, mix it with the sour cream and add to a pastry bag with a 1/4″ rough pastry tip. Shake the bag to get any air bubbles out and place it in the fridge until ready to use.

Choux Pastry Notes

The specifics of making choux are detailed in one of my other posts. The description for making it here will be brief since the focus is on making a churro eclair. Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place a rack in the middle of the oven. In a saucepan, heat the butter, milk, water, sugar, and salt and bring to a simmer. Once the mixture starts bubbling add the flour mixture and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon. The idea is to heat the flour and get rid of the raw flour taste. Continue to beat the mixture until the film that has formed on the bottom of the pan has reabsorbed into the mixture. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix for 30 seconds or so to cool the mixture down.

Add the eggs one at a time until the mixture is smooth. The mixture should hold the shape of a “V” when you remove the paddle attachment from the batter. You may not need to add the fifth egg, and you may need to add a sixth. If you’re not sure if your mixture is the right consistency, refer to my article on choux linked above with lots of pictures.

Choux Piping & Baking Notes

Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a 1-1/2″ french star tip. Shake the bag a few times to remove any air bubbles. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe the eclairs. Holding the piping bag at a 45-degree angle with the piping tip on the parchment, pipe a 4-5″ long log. Repeat with the rest of the choux pastry until the baking tray is full. Leave an inch or two between logs. Dust the tops of the choux logs with powdered sugar or spray with cooking oil, like PAM. This will help the choux develop a nice crust while baking. Dip your fingers in water and press the edges of the logs back into the log.

Reduce the temperature in the oven to 375 degrees and add pans to the upper and lower racks of the oven. Bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, poke a hole in the sides of all of the choux logs. Rotate the trays from top to bottom when placing them back in the oven. Bake for another five minutes. Turn the heat off on the oven and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. This will allow the choux to cool slowly so that it doesn’t collapse. Remove from the oven after 15 minutes. Using a paring knife, poke three holes in the bottom of the choux logs. This will make filling the choux with pastry cream much easier.

Create the churro eclair by filling the choux logs with the pastry cream. The eclairs should be filled but not bursting.

Eclairs Icing and Assembly

Sift the powdered sugar through a sieve into a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon. Add a few tablespoons of milk and whisk to combine until the mixture reaches the desired consistency. Transfer the icing to a pastry bag and cut a 1/4″ hole in the bottom of the bag. Pipe the icing on top of the filled eclairs. Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in the fridge and consume them within three days.

Final Churro Eclair Notes

If a churro eclair seems very similar to a croquembouche, it’s because they are. The pastry cream and choux recipes are the same, you just have to pipe the choux differently and make the craquelin as well. If you’re ballsy, you can make a Maximilian croquembouche.