Strawberry and Cream Eclairs

Ingredients:

Eclairs

• 80 g (1/3 cup) water
• 80 g (1/3 cup) whole milk
• 72 g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 3 gr. (3/4 tsp) ultrafine sugar
• 2.5 gr. (0.5 tsp) salt
• 90 g (3/4 cup) white bread flour
• 155g (140g) beaten eggs (3 medium eggs)

Filling

• 300 ml (1 and 1/4 cups) heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. ultrafine sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar, for dusting
• 8-10 strawberries, thinly sliced
• Special equipment: pastry bag with a French star tip; pastry bag with a decorative tip

Preparation:

1. Eclairs:
   
   Combine the water, milk, butter, superfine sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat; this should take about a minute. Once the liquid comes to a boil, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until a shiny ball of dough forms, about 2 minutes.
2. Place the dough ball in a large bowl and let it cool for 2 minutes. Then slowly add one-quarter of the beaten egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth. Continue adding the egg little by little until the dough reaches the point where you lift the wooden spoon from the bowl and the dough falls off the spoon within 3 seconds. You may not need all the egg, so be careful and add it gradually to avoid making the dough too runny.
3. Transfer the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a French star. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and pipe ten 12-cm-long strips of dough onto it. Freeze the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 205°C.
5. Just before placing the éclairs in the oven, pour 2 tablespoons of water into the bottom of the oven to create a little steam. Place the éclairs in the oven immediately and reduce the temperature to 160°C (325°F). Bake until the éclairs are deep golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let cool.
6. Filling:
   
   Combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat until very soft peaks form. Transfer the cream to a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip.
7. Assembly:
   
   Cut the cooled éclairs in half lengthwise to create a top and bottom shell. Lightly dust the top halves with powdered sugar. Place some sliced ​​strawberries on the bottom shells and pipe whipped cream on top using a swirl motion. Top with the éclair tops, then pipe more whipped cream onto the tops in small dots and garnish with strawberries.