Caramel Beurre Eclair

Eclairs are relatively easy to make if you follow the guidelines exactly.  No peeking, stab with a toothpick to allow steam to release and cook until golden so that they have a crisp outer bite to the pastry cream filling.  I would also fill them before serving or they will not have the crisp part of the bite but will still be delicious!  I created this recipe for a friend who had this flavor in Paris.  Eclair filled with mascarpone salted caramel and topped with white chocolate and toasted chopped peanuts.  These were amazing!! 

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Ingredients:
Choux dough:
60 g (¼ cups) Unsalted butter 82% European style butter at room temperature, in chunks.
60 g (¼ cups) water
60 g (¼ cups) whole milk
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon sugar
70 g (½ cups) Bread flour high protein content flour, eg. 13%
110 g Egg Approx. 2 eggs at room temperature. Might need slightly more or less, see the tips below.
3 tbl powdered sugar

Salted Caramel:
220 g sugar
140 g heavy whipping cream, warmed
80 g salted butter, warm not melted but soft
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
several pinches of fine sea salt

Pastry Cream:
240 g whole milk
50 g sugar
40 g egg yolk
12 g AP flour
12 g cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 tbl salted butter
​Quality white chocolate- about 1/2 cup melted
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped and toasted

Directions:
Prepare eclairs.  Sift flour into a medium saucepan. Add butter through milk ingredients and cook on medium until the water evaporates and there is a film on bottom of the pan.  Add to stand mixer with paddle attachment and turn on low until it cools off to the touch of the outside of the mixing bowl.  Slowly incorporate egg yolks into dough until it is shiny and makes a V-shape.  Put in piping bag with a star tip.  Pipe on a prepared baking sheet, about 10 eclairs, the same size. Close tips at end with a dab of water. Pipe at a 45 degree angle.  Dust with powdered sugar and put in the freezer for an hour.  Preheat oven to 400F and when you put them in oven reduce oven to 325F and bake until golden for 40 minutes.  Prick with a toothpick to release steam at 30 minutes.  Take out and cool them completely on a cookie rack on parchment. Prepare salted caramel but melting sugar WITHOUT stirring on medium-low.  Once bubbly whisk in warmed butter and remove from heat.  Whisk in warmed cream, vanilla and sea salt. Prepare pastry cream.  Whisk together sugar and egg.  Add cornstarch, flour and butter. Heat milk and slowly incorporate into egg mixture while tempering the eggs. Strain and add butter.  In stand mixer mix room temperature mascarpone and 3 tablespoons of prepared salted caramel.  Whip in pastry cream and refrigerate topped with plastic wrap. Pipe eclairs before serving or keep them separate in tight containers until needed.  Top with melted white chocolate and toasted peanuts!  Enjoy!!