I Éclair its a disaster!

Having nothing better to do with my new found freedom I thought I would try out my skills as a pastry chef. Now I’ve always been a bit of a cook around the house. I make a decent couple of curries, a Boeuf Bourguignon, Laksa, bread and a couple of other dishes as well. Cooking is something that generally helps me chill out and gives me something to do while processing stuff in my head. I enjoy it – its fun for me. That is until the almighty choux pastry stuff-up!

It all started with ‘Poh's Kitchen’, a cooking show on ABC TV. Poh was doing the whole French Patisserie thing, complete with French Pastry Chef (Emmanuel Mollois from the Choux Cafe in Swanbourne WA – check it out) and state of the art kitchen to boot. By comparison I had a kitchen bench, a dodgy oven and NO experience at all. But my wife encouraged me (a decision she now regrets) I was inspired so off to the shops I went to get the necessary ingredients and a piping bag.

Now, making the choux pastry wasn’t a problem at all – a breeze in fact. ‘Wow, this is easy’ I thought, then came the piping bag…. I now know NEVER to get a piping bag from a $2 dollar shop. This thing split on me with only the second éclair being squeezed out. And it all went pretty much south from there. After several attempts at running repairs to the bag it was thrown with some force into the bin. Attempts at using gladwrap and greaseproof paper were equally unsuccessful. I finally gave in and just resorted to using 2 teaspoons and turning the rest of my éclairs into profiteroles (I hope). There they sat in the dodgy oven, slowly turning into something that resembles a troupe of snails without a home. After 45 minutes of trepidation they were finally pulled from their warm seclusion to be presented to a waiting world….

After enduring the humiliation of my wife’s mocking laughter (she’s still laughing even as I type this – I like giving pleasure to people) I realised the sad truth, she’s on a diet… which means I get to stuff these babies with chocolate cream and eat them in front of her. Revenge really is sweet!