An éclair (English: /ɪˈklɛər/ⓘih-KLAIR[1] or /eɪˈklɛər/ay-KLAIR,[2]French:[eklɛːʁ]ⓘ;
lit.'lightning') is a
pastry made with
choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing. The dough, which is the same as that used for
profiterole, is typically piped into an oblong shape with a
pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry is filled with
custard (crème pâtissière),
whipped cream or
chiboust cream, then iced with
fondant icing.[3] Other fillings include
pistachio- and
rum-flavoured custard,
fruit-flavoured fillings, or
chestnut purée. The icing is sometimes
caramel, in which case the dessert may be called a bâton de Jacob[4] (
lit.'Jacob's staff'). A similar pastry in a round rather than oblong shape is called a
religieuse.
Etymology
The word comes from the French éclair, meaning 'flash of lightning', so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash);[5] however some believe that the name is due to the glistening of the frosting resembling lightning.[6]
History
The éclair originated during the nineteenth century in
Lyon,[7] France where it was called pain à la Duchesse[8] ('Duchess-style bread') or petite duchesse ('little duchess') until 1850.[9] The word is first attested both in English and in French in the 1860s.[10][11]
^(
Gouffé 1873, p. 288) "On a changé, depuis une vingtaine d'années, le nom de ces gâteaux [pains à la duchesse] : on les désigne actuellement sous le nom d'éclairs."