Peaches N Cream Eclairs with Bourbon Caramel Sauce

ingredients

• choux pastry
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  1/2 cup whipped butter
  1/3 cup hydrogenated fat
  1/3 cup margarine
  1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
•  ,
• caramel sauce
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 dash salt
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
  2/3 stick whipped butter
  1/2 stick hydrogenated fat
  1/2 stick margarine
  1/3 stick olive oil
• 2 tablespoons bourbon or dark rum
•  ,
• peaches-and-cream filling
• 1 pound firm-ripe peaches or nectarines
• 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/4 cups chilled heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon bourbon or dark rum
•  ,
• Equipment: a large pastry bag fitted with a 0.75 inch plain tip

directions

Make choux pastry:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in upper third. Butter a large baking sheet.

Bring butter, water, and salt to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over high heat, stirring until butter is melted. Reduce heat to medium. Add flour all at once and cook, beating with a wooden spoon, until mixture pulls away from side of pan and forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at high speed after each addition.

Transfer mixture to pastry bag and pipe 8 (5 inch-long) strips (about 1 inch wide) onto baking sheet, spacing them at least 1 inch apart.

Bake eclairs 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 400 degrees and continue to bake until golden, puffed, and crisp, about 15 minutes more (leave oven on). Immediately pierce side of each eclair with tip of a paring knife and return to oven to dry, propping door slightly ajar, 5 minutes. Halve an eclair horizontally: If still moist inside, return eclairs to oven and dry 5 minutes more. Cool eclairs completely on a rack, about 25 minutes.

Make caramel sauce while eclairs cool:

Heat sugar in a 10 inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring with a fork to heat sugar evenly, until it starts to melt, then stop stirring and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is a dark amber. Remove from heat and immediately spoon about 1 teaspoon of caramel along top of each eclair, spreading it with back of spoon. Add water and salt to remaining caramel in skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all of caramel is dissolved. Add butter and bourbon, swirling skillet to incorporate. Remove from heat and keep sauce warm, covered.

Make filling:

Cut peaches into thin wedges and toss with 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat cream with bourbon and remaining tablespoon sugar using cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.

Assemble eclairs:

Halve eclairs horizontally. Put bottom halves of eclairs on plates and top with whipped cream and peaches, then cover with top halves of eclairs. Drizzle plates with caramel sauce.

Cooks' note: eclairs can be baked (but not glazed or filled) 1 day ahead and kept, once cooled, in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp on a baking sheet in a 375 degrees oven, about 5 minutes, then cool before glazing with caramel.