Chocolate religieuses (choux pastry)

Once again a great classic of French pastry, the chocolate religieuses (choux pastry). Nothing could be simpler, choux pastry filled with a very chocolatey pastry cream (I used Valrhona's Caraïbes 66% dark chocolate) and iced with a cocoa « fondant » (icing). You can of course use this recipe to make eclairs (in that case, pipe the dough with a 14mm star tip, making eclairs about 12cm long) or just simple choux pastry if you don't want to bother with the icing ;-)

Prep time : 1 hour + 40 minutes cooking
For 15 to 20 religieuses, depending on their size :

The choux pastry :

125g water

125g whole milk

100g butter

2g salt

200g flour

300g eggs (about 6 whole eggs)

Icing sugar

Put the milk, water, salt and butter in a saucepan.

Bring to the boil, and wait until the butter is completely melted, then add the flour off the heat. Mix well so as to have a homogeneous paste, then put the pan back on the heat. Dry out the dough (stir it over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, until you have a thin film at the bottom of the pan).

Then pour it into the bowl of the food processor and stir it until the steam has completely evaporated from the dough. Gradually add the beaten eggs until the dough is homogeneous, smooth and shiny.

Pour the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip.

Pipe choux pastry 5 to 6cm in diameter for the religieuses’s bases, and 2 to 3cm in diameter for the top on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, or on a greased baking sheet directly.

Sprinkle with a little icing sugar, then place in the oven preheated to 170°C on static heat for about 40 minutes (depending on the oven, the choux should be golden brown at the end of cooking), then leave to cool on the rack.

Chocolate pastry cream :

750g whole milk

90g sugar

105g egg yolks (about 6 yolks)

55g cornstarch

65g butter

320g dark chocolate 66% cacao

Heat the milk.

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch, then pour half of the hot milk over it while stirring.

Return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.

Off the heat, add the butter, mix well, then the chocolate.

When the cream is homogeneous, pour it into a container, put a plastic wrap on it and cool it in the refrigerator.

Finishing and glazing :

400g fondant pâtissier (icing)

Cane sugar syrup

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Once the pastry cream and choux have cooled, garnish them from below with a small plain tip.

Then prepare the icing: heat the fondant very gently (it should not exceed 37°C) by adding cocoa powder and if necessary a little cane sugar syrup to fluidify the texture.

Start by glazing the tops of the religieuses. Then ice the bottoms, and immediately place the tops on them. Place in the refrigerator for a few minutes, then enjoy !