Apricot and Flat Peach Eclairs

These opulent little treats are great with afternoon tea - soft homemade choux pastry, a deliciously sweet feathered icing, and a crunchy fruity surprise inside!

Time required - approx 1 hour 20 mins (55 mins prep, 25 mins bake)

Ingredients

• 75g unsalted butter
• 125g plain flour
• 200ml cold water
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 300ml double cream
• 3 flat peaches, cubed
• 3 apricots, cubed
• 3 tablespoons lemon zest
• 225g icing sugar
• food colouring (colour is up to you!)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220C / gas mark 7 and line a large oven tray/rack with brown baking paper. To make the choux pastry, put your 200ml water and all butter into a saucepan and heat gently until all the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and quickly mix in the flour and the salt - as stated, work quickly to achieve the desired consistency! Mix fast until it forms into a ball that will leave no mixture stuck to the sides of the pan. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. 

2. After 5-6 minutes, add the eggs one at a time to the mixture and mix in well until the mixture is glossy and smooth. Spoon the entire mixture into a piping bag with a nozzle / hole cut out that is 15mm wide. Pipe your eclairs onto the baking paper, making them approx 12cm long. You should get 12 from this, however if you choose to make them a little bigger and go to 15cm, you should get 10. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven after this time, and with the tip of your knife, pierce a hole in each eclair. Return to oven for a final 5 minutes. Once completed, remove from oven and allow to cool. 

3. Put your double cream into a bowl and whip until it forms firm peaks that hold their shape. Pop in the fridge to cool. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into the lemon zest until it forms a thick yet spreadable icing. You may need to add more icing sugar, so keep some spare just incase. Once happy with the consistency, remove a tablespoon's worth of it and add your food colouring to that little separate bit, ready for the feathering. Spoon the white icing and coloured icing into two piping bags.

4. Once cooled, cut the eclairs open and spoon the whipped cream inside and pieces of your cubed flat peaches and apricots. With care, spread the white icing over the top, and don't worry if it drips - this is meant to be messy! While this icing is still wet, pipe your coloured icing over the top and feather it in any way you like - use a fork or a cocktail stick to achieve this affect. Leave in the fridge to set. 

Once cooled, I suggest make yourself a big pot of tea, take your beloved out into the garden and enjoy the beautiful outdoors with a good cup of English tea and some homemade eclairs!