Step 1

Custard: (You will need to prepare that the night before or few hours ahead.)

Step 2

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, salt and sugar until completely combined and a bit frothy.

Step 3

Add flour, whisk very well and set aside while heating the milk.

Step 4

Heat milk, heavy cream, butter and vanilla bean until simmering. Take off heat when the mixture starts to simmer. Cut vanilla bean open and scrape out the seeds. Whisk vanilla seeds back into milk mixture.

Step 5

Slowly add heated milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture stirring constantly. Whisk well slowly.

Step 6

Return the mixture into the pot and bring to simmer stirring slowly and constantly. The mixture will thicken within a few minutes. Take off heat once it's thickened.

Step 7

Cool to room temperature and transfer into a bowl with lid to be refrigerated. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight.

Step 8

Choux pastry:

Step 9

Preheat the oven to 400 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease lightly.

Step 10

In a small sauce pot, over medium heat, add butter, sugar, vanilla extract and water. Bring to simmer and stir in flour with a wooden spoon until all combined and coming off the walls of the pot easily.

Step 11

Transfer into the bowl of an electric mixer and start adding eggs with speed set to medium-low, one at a time, making sure that each egg is mixed into the batter before adding the next.

Step 12

Transfer batter into a piping bag and pipe thick lines of pastry that are about 1 1/2 inches in width and 3 inches in length. Don't make them flat, they should be almost an inch high. (Choux pastry is very easy to manipulate in shape and design too, you can play around with that if you want.)

Step 13

Bake for 25-28 minutes, until nicely golden-brown. Cool a little before filling so they are easy to handle.

Step 14

Ganache:

Step 15

Chop baking chocolate and add it to a small mixing bowl.

Step 16

Bring heavy cream to simmer, be careful not to let it actually boil or it will raise.

Step 17

Pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate and stir with a whisk until melted and smooth.

Step 18

Eclairs:

Step 19

Fill a piping bag, fitted with a long, narrow tip, with prepared cold custard. Gently insert the tip into the slightly cooled pastry and squeeze desired amount of cream into it. (Try not to overfill or it will be difficult to eat.) You should have enough custard to fill all the pastry.

Step 20

Spread or drizzle some ganache over each filled pastry.

Step 21

(Keep refrigerated.)