Eclairs.

When I think of eclairs, I think of Beard Papa. I'm not really an eclair person. I'm more into other baked goodies like cakes and brownies and whatnots. However, the only eclair that I remember being really into was the ones from Beard Papa. I recall the first time I tasted it, it was at the Takashimaya basement outlet. I ordered one (measly small piece it was, that costs me about two bucks) and took a bite out of it.

I was hooked. The creamy chocolate cream (I normally detest cream of any sort) that simply melts in your mouth - I still remember how happy I felt eating it - and then proceeded to declare it my pick-me-up treat. It was back in the secondary school days I think. And for a period of time, whenever I dropped by town, and if I was feeling low, an order of Beard Papa's chocolate eclair was sure to be on the list of things to get. A mouth of that yummy dessert and I'm all perked up (I reckon it's my inner happy endorphins that got a kick out of all that sugar rush...).

I was browsing through all my favourite food blogs as usual, when I saw the Daring Bakers baked good of the month - Pierre Hermé chocolate éclairs. Since I am experimenting with different baked goodies lately, I decided to make it for fun's sake. I used the choux pastry dough as per listed, made a batch of almond pastry cream (that's simply to-die-for) and topped the treat up with melted 70% lindt dark chocolate before adding chopped pistachios/a raspberry to the eclairs.

Of course, I hurried to complete the pastry in hopes of snapping some pictures of it before the sun sets as my digital camera sucks at night photography (do I hear a new camera hollering my name?). I was lucky (since I did the almond cream the day before, I only need to make the pastry today), I managed to get in some day shots of the completed goodies before passing the sweets on to the housemates. (:

Chopped pistachios atop an eclair.

Almond pastry cream. Lusciously divine.