Chocolate éclairs with strawberry and champagne granita

Start by preparing the strawberry and champagne granita. Blend the strawberries (125 g), icing sugar (1 tbsp) and lemon juice (1 tbsp) in a mini food processor until smooth.  Pass through a sieve to remove any seeds.

Stir in the champagne (125 ml), pour the mixture into a lined shallow tray, then place in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/Gas 7.

For the choux pastry, gently heat the butter (45 g), milk (85 ml) and ¼ tsp of fine sea salt in a pan over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted, increase the heat and quickly bring to the boil. Tip in the flour (50 g) in one go and vigorously beat with a wooden spoon to combine.

Reduce the heat to low and continue to beat until the dough comes away from the sides of the pan. Continue to beat the dough over a low heat for a further 2 minutes.

Tip the dough into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl) and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Continue with the choux pastry. Whisk the eggs (2) in a small bowl using a fork. With the mixer on low, gradually add enough egg to make a smooth and glossy dough that forms a ‘V’ shape at the end of the paddle when it is lifted. You may not need all of the eggs. Alternatively, you can do this by hand by slowly adding a ¼ of the egg mixture at a time and beating together with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, glossy dough that doesn’t break apart and slowly slips off the spoon.

Spoon the choux dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Carefully pipe three 12cm eclairs onto a greaseproof-lined baking sheet. Pipe slowly so the eclairs are not too thin; you are looking to achieve a ‘dog bone’ shape, with slightly bulbous ends, so that the eclairs become evenly shaped during baking. Lightly dust the éclairs with icing sugar (1 tbsp).

Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/400°C/Gas 6. Bake the eclairs for 25 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Remove from the oven and pierce two holes on the underside of each éclair, using the tip of a small knife. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the Chantilly cream. Whip the cream (200 ml), vanilla (1) and icing sugar (1 tbsp) in a bowl using an electric whisk until the mixture forms very soft peaks. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle. Place in the fridge until needed.

Prepare the chocolate glaze. Put the milk chocolate (100 g) and a pinch of sea salt into a small heatproof bowl. Heat the double cream (100 ml) and butter (15 g) in a small saucepan until just simmering, swirling the pan to melt the butter. Pour it over the chocolate and leave for a couple of minutes, then stir from the centre outwards until you have a smooth, glossy mixture.

Fill each éclair with the Chantilly cream, piping it into the holes on the underside of the éclair. Carefully dip the top of each eclair into the chocolate glaze.

Grate white chocolate (100 g) on top of the eclairs using a speed peeler.

Scrape the granita with a fork to create a slushie texture, then serve with your éclairs.