Eclairs were a big hit at the Farm Store this weekend, particularly with a certain 6 year old.
Eclairs have never been one of my favorite desserts. Actually, I have flat out refused to make or eat them. When I was a baby, my dad fed me some of his cream puff and we both were violently ill. I of course don't remember being ill, but I hear the story from time to time, especially when someone is offered a cream puff or eclairs. The story goes something like my dad abruptly pulling the car over so that he can vomit, and then proceeding to lay down in the middle of the road and proclaim that he is dying- all the while, my mother trying to take care of her baby (me) who is also vomiting.
Obviously, I steer clear of desserts with creamy middles.
But, besides my dad and I, who can resist this type of dessert?
Practically no one. Hence why we decided to try making them.
Jason worked on the recipe for the eclairs one day while I was at work. I gave him some advice about filling them, and I glazed them for him, but other than that he made them, and as you can see from the above photos they were delicious. (Photo credit: JoAnne Bannister, thank you, they are fabulous!).
After I made the chocolate ganache for the glaze, Jason walked over and was staring at the naked eclairs and the bowl of chocolate. Back and forth, I watched his eyes dart between his new dessert and the chocolate glaze.
I began to glaze the eclairs by dipping their tops down into the chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off and then inverting them back onto the serving tray. "Oh, that's how you do that!" he exclaimed. "I had no idea how I was going to do that without making a really big mess!".
Thank goodness we have each other. He likes to try new things that I don't want to touch with a ten foot pole. He pushes me not only in the bakery, but in life, to be a little more adventurous then I would normally be. I know how to proofread and am detailed oriented among other things.
I also know how to add those finishing touches that in the end are simpler than he realized.
