Light and airy choux pastry, delicate cream fillings, and the distinctive flavors of Sirocco Matcha and Hojicha make these éclairs something truly special. While Matcha delights with its fresh, slightly tart notes and vibrant green color, Hojicha captivates with its mild, pleasantly roasted character.

The creamy fillings harmonize perfectly with the crispy yet tender choux pastry, turning each variety into a small work of art. Inspired by Japanese tea culture, these two extraordinary desserts delight not only with their flavor but also with their appearance. Perfect for special occasions or a delightful break from the daily routine.

This recipe serves 12 people.

HOJICHA –MATCHA ÉCLAIRS

PREPARATION CHOUX PASTRY

Choux pastry: heat. Add the flour all at once; stir with a cooking spoon for about 2 min. until you have a smooth dough that separates from the bottom of the pan. Remove pan from the heat. Stir in the eggs gradually with a hand mixer; the dough should be soft but not runny. Transfer the dough to a disposable piping bag and cut off the tip, creating an opening about 2 cm in diameter. Pipe 12 éclairs (about 10 cm long) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving enough space between them.

Baking/drying: Preheat convection oven to 160°C, and then bake for about 35 min. During baking, never open the oven door! Afterwards, switch the oven off, open door slightly and let éclairs dry for about 20 min. Remove from the oven, let cool on a wire rack, and cut in half horizontally with scissors.

Preparation time: Active prep time: about 20 min. / Baking and drying time: 55 min. / Cooling: 20 min.

Exclusiver Sirocco tip: To ensure evenly sized éclairs, mark lines approx. 10 cm long on the back of the parchment paper and pipe the éclairs along these lines.

PREPARATION HOJICHA-CREAM
Hojicha-Crème: Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place vanilla seeds and vanilla bean in a saucepan. Pour in the milk. Sift in the hojicha and stir until it has completely dissolved in the milk. Add half the sugar and slowly heat the milk. In a bowl, whisk the remaining sugar with the egg yolks until the mixture lightens in color. Stir in the cornstarch. Add a little warm milk to the egg mixture and stir well. Now add the egg mixture to the remaining milk in the saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Simmer vigorously for about 1 min., stirring constantly; remove from heat and pour the cream through a strainer into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming, let it cool, and refrigerate for at least 1 hr. Blend the cream until smooth with a hand mixer, then fold in the whipped cream. Fill the cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip (approx. 10 mm diameter) and refrigerate.

To finish the Éclairs: Finely chop the chocolate. Place it in a thin-walled bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. The bowl should rest on top of the saucepan; make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Let the chocolate melt and then stir until smooth.
Dip the éclair tops into the melted chocolate, let them drip off and then dry. Fill the éclair bottoms with hojicha cream and place the éclair tops over them.

Preparation time: Active prep time: about 30 min. / Cooling: about 30 min. / Refrigeration: at least 1 hr.

Exclusive Sirocco tip: Garnish the éclairs with a little coarsely grated chocolate (before the chocolate on the éclair tops sets).

PREPARATION MATCHA-CREAM

Matcha-Cream: Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place vanilla seeds and vanilla bean in a saucepan. Pour in the milk. Sift in the matcha and stir until it has completely dissolved in the milk. Add half the sugar and slowly heat the milk. In a bowl, whisk the remaining sugar with the egg yolks until the mixture lightens in color. Stir in the cornstarch. Add a little warm milk to the egg mixture and stir well. Now add the egg mixture to the remaining milk in the saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Simmer vigorously for about 1 min., stirring constantly; remove from heat and pour the cream through a strainer into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming, let it cool, and refrigerate for at least 1 hr. Blend the cream until smooth with a hand mixer, then fold in the whipped cream. Fill the cream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip (approx. 10 mm diameter) and refrigerate.

To finish the Éclairs: Melt the cake glaze in the bag in barely boiling water. Pour about 80 g of the cake glaze into a shallow dish, sift in the matcha powder, and stir until the powder has completely dissolved. Dip the éclair tops into the glaze, let them drip off and then dry. Fill the éclair bottoms with the matcha cream and place the éclair tops over them.

Preparation time: Active prep time: about 30 min. / Cooling: about 30 min. / Refrigeration: at least 1 hr.

Exclusive Sirocco tip: Garnish the éclairs with a few chopped pistachios (before the glaze on the éclair tops sets).