Eclairs

4 different ways

Choux pastry

Makes 6
125g butter
200g flour
6 eggs

Heat 500ml of water with the butter, bring to the boil, add the flour all at once and stir until the mixture comes away from the sides of the saucepan. Add the eggs one at a time and rest for 30 minutes before using.

Creme patisserie

2 eggs
4 egg yolks
250g sugar
80g flour
1 litre milk
80g butter

Whisk the whole eggs with the yolks and the sugar until the mixture becomes pale and thick. Add the sifted flour and mix well. Bring the milk to the boil with the butter, and pour over the egg-flour-sugar mixture.

Pour everything into a heavy-based saucepan, cook gently over a low heat for 10 minutes, then dust with sugar and chill.

The eclairs

300g choux pastry
2 egg yolks
400g pastry cream
60g cocoa powder
100ml espresso coffee
100g glacé icing

Using a piping bag, pipe the choux pastry into eclair shapes onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush them with egg yolks. Bake in a 180°C/Gas 4 oven for 20 minutes, then slightly open the oven door and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Divide the pastry cream into three portions. Gently heat two of them and mix them with the cocoa powder and coffee respectively (keep a little for the glacé icing). Do the same with the glacé icing. Cut the éclairs in two, fill them with the pastry cream, dip the lids in the glacé, chocolate and coffee - and place the lids back on top.

Chantilly cream pastries

Makes 10
200g choux pastry
2 egg yolks
1 litre pouring cream
200g caster sugar
50g icing sugar

Pipe about 20 mounds of choux pastry onto a baking tray lined with paper. Brush them with egg yolk. Bake in 180°C/Gas 4 oven for 20 minutes, then open the oven door slightly and cook for a further 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Whip the cream into a firm chantilly and gently fold in the caster sugar. Fill the choux pastries generously and dust with icing sugar.

Paris-brest

Serves 6
400g choux pastry
1 egg yolk
50g flaked almonds
300g pastry cream
100g praline
100g butter
icing sugar

Using a piping bag, make a good-sized ring of choux pastry on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush with egg yolk and scatter over the flaked almonds. Bake for 20 minutes in a 180°C/Gas 4 oven, then leave the oven door half open for 10 minutes. Mix the pastry cream with the praline and softened butter. Slice the ring in half, fill generously with the pastry cream, cover with the other half and dust with icing sugar.

· Ripailles by Stéphane Reynoud is published by Murdoch Books, £25. To order a copy for £23 with free UK p&p, go to observer.co.uk/bookshop or call 0870 836 0885.

· This article was amended on Thursday September 25 2008 to correct the quantities of some of the ingredients needed to make Choux pastry.