Recipe: Blood Orange Éclair
Updated: Sep 18, 2022
A new fruity, summery twist on a classic.
As part of the Flavors of Florida event at Disney Springs, Amorette’s Patisserie is offering a Blood Orange Éclair. This fruity twist on the classic éclair is refreshing and perfect for summer. If you can’t make it to Amorette’s to buy this éclair, you can follow the recipe below to make a batch for yourself!
Blood Orange Éclair
Yields about 2 dozen éclairs
Ingredients
Éclair Shells
½ cup water
½ cup milk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
Filling
1 cup blood orange juice
½ cup and 2 tablespoons sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons room temperature butter
½ teaspoon blood orange zest
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
1¾ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup blood orange juice
1 tablespoon blood orange zest
1 teaspoon salted butter, melted
1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
Candied Blood Oranges (topping)
Bowl of ice water
8 cups water, divided in half
2 blood oranges, sliced
4 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
Candied Blood Oranges
You’ll want to start this recipe by candying the blood oranges the day before you plan to make the éclairs because they will need to sit out to dry overnight.
Slice the blood oranges into thin slices (about ¼ inch or thinner).
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, then add the orange slices. Boil the orange slices over high heat for 2 minutes.
Fill a bowl with ice water.
Transfer the boiled orange slices to the ice water and discard water used for boiling.
Add the remaining 4 cups of water and sugar to the saucepan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir until the sugar completely dissolves.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the orange slices to the pan.
Simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring gently every 15 minutes to make sure the oranges are coated in sugar water. The rinds will be slightly translucent when the oranges are ready to be removed.
Transfer the orange slices to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet.
Let the oranges sit out to dry for up to 24 hours. Refrigerate in an airtight container after that if you’re not ready to use them yet.
Filling (Part 1):
Boil the blood orange juice in a small pot over medium heat. Once boiling, cook for 4 more minutes at a boil.
While the juice is boiling, whisk together a ½ cup of sugar, salt, and egg yolks in a small bowl.
When the juice has been boiling for 4 minutes, slowly add half of it to the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper.
Once combined, pour the egg mixture back into the pot you boiled the juice in. Cook over low heat for 7 minutes, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to keep the eggs from scrambling.
Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time and the blood orange zest.
Put a piece of plastic wrap over the mixture, with the plastic wrap directly touching the surface of the mixture.
Refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
Éclair shells:
Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Combine water, milk, butter, sugar and salt in a medium pot.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Once boiling, remove from the heat and stir in flour with a wooden spoon.
Once the flour is incorporated, place back over medium heat and stir constantly for 1 ½ to 2 minutes, or until the dough comes together in a smooth ball and a thin film forms on the bottom of the pot.
Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and beat for 1 minute on the lowest speed to cool the mixture.
Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing each egg to be fully incorporated before adding the next
Beat until dough is smooth.
Add dough to a piping bag with a ½ inch round tip.
Pipe the dough into 4 inch long lines on a lined baking sheet, leaving at least 1 ½ inches of space between each one.
Bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 325ºF without opening the oven and bake for 30 more minutes, until the éclair shells are golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Filling (Part 2):
After the mixture has been refrigerated for at least 5 hours, pour the heavy whipping cream into a separate medium bowl or stand mixer bowl.
Add the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of sugar to the bowl.
Beat on high speed for about 3-4 minutes, just until stiff peaks form. Do not over-beat.
Use a rubber spatula to fold half of the whipped cream into the chilled filling mixture.
Pour the filling mixture into the remaining whipped cream and continue to fold until it is completely incorporated.
Add the mixture to a piping bag to fill the éclairs. Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the éclairs.
Assembling the Éclairs:
Using a small pastry tip, poke 2 or 3 holes through the bottom of each cooled pastry.
Pipe the filling into the pastries and scrape off any excess.
Icing the Éclairs:
In a large measuring cup, combine the sugar, orange juice, heavy whipping cream, and orange zest. Whisk until there are no lumps.
Add in the melted butter and heavy whipping cream and whisk until smooth.
Add 3 drops of red food coloring to the icing and stir.
If the mixture is not pourable, you can microwave it for 30 seconds. If you do this, let it sit for a few minutes before pouring it over the éclairs.
Pour the icing over the éclairs and top with pieces of candied blood orange.
Takeaway:
The éclairs turned out pretty well and the orange flavor is very prominent. The main obstacle of this recipe is the timing. It took me 3 days to complete this recipe because of the wait times required for different parts of the recipe. I also had to juice my own blood oranges, which was a tedious process that took a long time, so I would recommend using store-bought blood orange juice if you can find it. I found that after assembling the éclairs the filling was a little runny from being at room temperature for a while. I think the consistency would be better if you chilled the éclairs in the fridge for about an hour before serving. The éclairs do need to be kept in the refrigerator if you have any leftovers, but the fact that they are cold actually compliments the refreshing orange flavor in my opinion.
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