Week 6 Lab! Swans and Eclairs!

So, tonite we made more pastry cream. I am becoming and expert at this as I make it a few times a week at the bakery and this is the second time we have made it in lab. After I finished with the pastry cream, I started on the choux paste. It started out with some butter and flour in a pan that you just keep cooking until it's at the right consistency. Then you add it to the mixer with a paddle attachment and just let it mix for a bit to cool off. Then you add eggs one at a time until it gets to a nice pastey texture. I think I used about 7 eggs. I then piped out little dollops and logs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment. Then I piped out little "2"'s that would serve as the necks for the swans. Then I made the chantilly creme, which consisted of whipping cream, vanilla and sugar. You basically just whip it up all together until stiff peaks form. Now comes the swan assembly! I just cut off the tops if the puffs I made with the pate a choux, cut those in half. Then I coated the bottom part of the puff with a little bit of pastry cream. Then I piped out a layer of chantilly creme. I then put in the neck and covered the bottom part with another piping of chantilly cream. Then I just put the wings on and, wa lah! A Swan! I used the little logs I piped out to make eclairs. I just poked a hole in them and filled them up with pastry cream, then I dipped them in some chocolate ganache that Chef Mark made.