Chocolate Eclairs

Ingredients:

Pastry:

• 1 cup (150 ml) water
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 3 to 4 eggs
• 3 cups whipped cream

Chocolate Sauce:

• 1 cup  (150 ml) water
• 2 cup sugar
• 1 cup of dark chocolate small pieces
• ½ cup butter

Instructions:

Pastry:

1. Start by placing butter and water into a cooking pan and boil. Let the butter melt, and take the pan off the heat and put in the flour. Beat well with a wooden ladle or spoon till the mixture becomes soft and non-sticky.
    
2. Add salt, sugar, and break and beat in the eggs in this batter one by one till it is a very consistent batter. Pour this mixture in a pastry bag and cool for a few minutes.
    
3. Preheat the oven to about 200 C or about 380 F.
    
4. Make about 6-8 oblong pieces of pastry and put into a floured baking vessel. Keep enough space between eclairs to allow for expansion during heating in oven. Put this vessel in the oven and bake until golden-brown and firm. Usually, this takes about 35-40 minutes.
    
5. Once cooked, remove vessel from oven and allow to cool completely. Slice the eclairs in half lengthways and fill with whipped cream, or you could use a nice long piping tip to fill your eclairs. so you dont have to cut it open. Keep this aside and start making the chocolate sauce.
   

Chocolate Sauce:

1. Start by putting 2 cups of sugar in 150 ml water and heat gently till the solution becomes a bit thick and all the sugar is dissolved. Add the butter and heat for about a minute and then put in the chocolate pieces. Stir till the complete solution is consistent and cool for a few minutes to let it thicken a bit.
   
2. Once both, the eclair and the sauce, are ready, pour the chocolate sauce over the eclairs, and they are ready to serve.
   
   
   Note: (When finished you could sprinkle the eclairs with chopped nuts, or chocolate flakes)