A few days ago Warren found my very first blog post and learned two things: 1) narwhals are truly amazing creatures full of whimsy and delight and 2) I started this blog five years ago. It's true. On February 25th, 2008, I nixed my angsty Live Journal account and started my own newfangled web log--as I believe they were calling it back then :)
I started this blog during my first foray into the adult world. It was--unlike my chaotic always-poor-and-stressed life--a fun place to discuss my love of all things Taylor Swift or Jason Bourne. Some of you might even remember the dawning of Tween Studies. Since then, I have graduated from grad school, met and married Warren, and moved (perhaps forever) to Michigan.
It definitely hasn't been the most consistent blog in the world but, considering all the major life changes that have happened in the last five years, it has certainly been one of the constants in my life. It got me through long, boring spells--such as when I sold fancy lotions to rich people or powered through a painful desk job by reading Michael Jackson's fan mail (though I'm pretty sure that was illegal...shh).
It is no surprise to me that I have lately taken to revitalizing the blog--mostly out of a desire to create stuff, even if it's something small like a fun printable. Though five years have passed since this project began, I find myself in similar circumstances: trying to find creativity and joy in the most mundane tasks (such as, ahem, office work). I'm glad for you, the few stalwarts who still keep up with life at Club Narwhal, and am excited to see what the next five years bring--with or without this here blog. So, without further ado, I give you a pretty easy and very tasty eclair recipe.
Eclairs are Warren's favorite dessert and we always put off making them because they seemed unduly complicated. And they are, kind of. But they are also much easier than we were expecting. If you have an hour to spare one of these days, do yourself a favor and make some eclairs from scratch. You will not be disappointed!
EASY-ISH ECLAIRS
*Adapted from All Recipes
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 egg, beaten (for the pastry egg wash)
- 1 package instant white chocolate or vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup cold milk
- 2 cups Cool Whip
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 3 tablespoons hot water
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until butter melts then reduce heat to low. Add flour and salt. Stir until mixture forms a stiff ball (Playdough consistency). Remove from heat and add beaten eggs a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Fill a plastic pastry bag (or a large ziplock bag) with the dough. Cut the tip off the bag and pipe dough onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Strips should be about one inch wide and 4 inches long. We got about a dozen eclairs out of this batch. Lightly brush each eclair with an egg wash, smoothing out any bumps as you go. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes to get a nice crunchy shell. Reduce heat to 325 and bake for 20 minutes more. Shells should be light and sound hollow when tapped. Cool completely.
Combine the pudding mix, 1 cup of milk, and 2 cups Cool whip to make the filling. Spoon into a pastry bag (or ziplock) fitted with a cupcake filler icing tip (Wilton #230). Poke a hole into the side of an eclair shell and fill with pudding mix. Alternately, slice shell in half lengthwise and pipe in filling. Dip the top of the eclair in chocolate glaze (melt chocolate in 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in up to 1 cup of powdered sugar. Add vanilla and hot water until the glaze is nice and thin). If you aren't eating it right away, you can add a teaspoon of corn syrup to the glaze to keep it nice and shiny.
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