Although chocolate éclairs are the traditional popular favorite, I have always been partial to éclairs filled with coffee-flavored cream and covered with coffee icing. Remember, with these you can plan ahead. You can bake the éclair pastry and freeze it on one day, make the filling the next, then reheat, cool, fill, and ice them on the third day. Such a division of labor makes preparing a pastry with many steps easy.

Twelve 4-inch éclairs

PÂTE À CHOUX

1 cup water

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

COFFEE PASTRY CREAM

2 cups whole milk

2/3 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon rum

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

COFFEE ICING

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2tablespoons light corn syrup

1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

One cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan lined with parchment or foil

Twelve 4-inch éclairs

Although chocolate éclairs are the traditional popular favorite, I have always been partial to éclairs filled with coffee-flavored cream and covered with coffee icing. Remember, with these you can plan ahead. You can bake the éclair pastry and freeze it on one day, make the filling the next, then reheat, cool, fill, and ice them on the third day. Such a division of labor makes preparing a pastry with many steps easy.

Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 400˚F.
To prepare the pâte à choux, combine the water, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove from the heat and sift in the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine smoothly.
Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste dries slightly and begins to leave the sides of the pan. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 minute to cool slightly.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until it is absorbed before adding the next. Immediately use a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tube (Ateco #6) to pipe twelve 4-inch éclairs on the prepared pan.
Bake the éclairs for about 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350˚F and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the éclairs are firm, well colored and crisp. Cool the éclairs on a rack.
While the éclairs are baking, prepare the pastry cream filling. Combine the milk and half the sugar in a nonreactive saucepan. Whisk once and place over medium heat to come to a boil.
Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and salt in a bowl and whisk in the remaining sugar. Sift the flour over the yolks and mix in.
When the milk boils, whisk a third of the boiled milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the milk to a boil, then pour the hot egg mixture back in a stream, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, dissolved coffee, and butter. Pour the cream into a heatproof glass or stainless-steel bowl or pan. Press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the cream. Refrigerate immediately.
To fill the éclairs, use a chopstick or vegetable peeler to pierce a small hole at each end of the bottom (flat side) of each éclair.
Spoon the coffee pastry cream into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tube (Ateco #3) and fill the éclairs. Insert the tube into one of the holes on the bottom of the éclair and squeeze gently until the filling appears in the second hole. Place the éclairs, flat side up, on a clean pan covered with parchment or wax paper.
To make the icing, combine all the ingredients in a small, nonreactive saucepan. Place over low heat and stir constantly until the icing is barely warm, about 100˚F. Dip a spoon in the icing and let the excess drip off, to see how the icing will coat a surface. If the icing left on the spoon is thin and transparent, add 1/2 cup more confectioners’ sugar and test again. If the icing is too thick, add 1 teaspoon water and test again. Adjust with confectioners’ sugar or water until the icing is a good coating consistency.
To ice the éclairs, submerge them unpierced (top) 1/2 inch deep into the icing. Allow the excess icing to drip off by holding the éclair icing side down, over the pan of icing for 10 to 15 seconds. Turn the éclair icing side up on the empty prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining éclairs, reheating the icing gently if it thickens too much. Arrange the éclairs on a platter to serve.