Ingredients:

• For choux pastry (pie-dough): 150 ml / 1.5 pint / 2/3 cup – water
• 60 g / 2 oz / 1.5 cups – butter, cut into small pieces
• 90 g / 3 oz / 1.5 cups – strong plain (all purpose) flour, sieved (strained)
• 2 – eggs
• For pastry cream: 2 – eggs, lightly beaten
• 50 g / 1.5 oz / 4 tbsp – caster (superfine) Sugar
• 2 tbsp – Corn flour (corn starch)
• 300 ml / 1.5 pint / 1.5 cups – Milk
• 1.5 tsp – vanilla flavoring (extract)
• For icing: 25 g / 1 oz / 2 tbsp – Butter
• 1 tbsp – Milk
• 1 tbsp – cocoa powder
• 100 g / 3.5 oz / 1.5 cups – icing (confectioners) Sugar
• a little white chocolate, melted

Method:

1. Lightly grease a baking tray (cookie sheet).
2. Place water in a saucepan. Add the butter and heat gently until the butter melts. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove the pan from the heat.
3. Add the flour at one go, beating well until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball.
4. Leave to cool slightly, then gradually beat the eggs to form a smooth, glossy mixture.
5. Spoon into a large piping bag fitted with a 1 cm / 1.5 inch plain nozzle (tip).
6. Sprinkle the tray (sheet) with a little water.
7. Pipe eclairs 7.5 cm / 3 inches long, spaced well apart.
8. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees C (gas mark 6) for 30-35 minutes or until crisp and golden.
9. Make a small slit in each eclair to let the steam escape; cool on a rack.
10. To make the pastry cream, whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy, then fold in the corn flour (corn starch).
11. Heat the milk until almost boiling and pour onto the eggs, whisking.
12. Transfer to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring until thick. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flavouring (extract).
13. Cover with baking parchment and cool.
14. To make the icing, melt the butter with the milk in a pan, remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa and sugar.
15. Split the eclairs lengthways and pipe in the pastry cream.
16. Spread the icing over the white chocolate, swirl in and leave to set.