Eclairs

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease well.

Make the pastry: Heat water and butter to boiling point in a saucepan. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is smooth and forms a ball.

Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and let cool.

Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Transfer dough to a pastry bag and pipe thick lines onto prepared cookie sheet to form eclairs.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until light brown. Set aside to cool completely.

Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt.

Whisk in about 1 cup milk and cook over low heat, stirring often, until thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise.

Add the rest of the milk, then temper in the 3 beaten eggs. Continue to cook until mixture is even thicker.

Remove from heat, cool, and add vanilla.

Make the icing:

Assemble: With a serrated knife, slice pastry puffs lengthwise, but not all the way through. Pipe custard mixture into the center. Ice the tops of the eclairs.