Crisp and light pastry with a sumptuous vanilla cream, all topped with a decadent maple & pecan glaze. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it!

1. Cover a large plate with a piece of greaseproof paper. Sift the flour, salt and sugar onto it.
2. Tip the water and butter into a medium sized pan. Melt gently. Increase the heat to bring to the boil. Immediately slide the dry ingredients off the paper into the boiling liquid in one go. Beat like mad with a wooden spoon till the dough makes a ball. Whip off the heat. Beat furiously for a few minutes to make a smooth paste. Slap the greaseproof back on the plate. Tip the paste onto it. Leave for at least 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to fan 180c. Line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper- I also rubbed a little butter on mine to ensure the mix didn’t stick.
4. Slap the paste back into the saucepan or a bowl. Beat the egg in a little at a time. The final mix wants to be soft and glossy and should just drop off your spoon. You may not need all the egg or you may need to use a splash of milk.
5. Pipe the éclair mix using a nozzle with 1cm diameter. Make them as uniform as possible, allow room for the mix to expand.
6. Sprinkle a few drops of water onto the trays to aid rising and cook for 25-30 minutes or until well browned and crisp. If the bases are a bit soggy flip them over to crisp up. Cool on a rack.
7. Make the glaze by combining the maple syrup and butter in a saucepan. Gently heat until the butter has melted and then sift in the icing sugar bit by bit, whisking as you go. Set aside for about 30 minutes until it has thickened.
8. Meanwhile slice your éclairs in half, keeping track of matching tops and bottoms. Sit them on a rack with greaseproof paper underneath.
9. Once the glaze is thick enough place it onto the tops using a spoon or palate knife. Sprinkle the pecans over.
10. Whip up the cream with the vanilla extract and sugar until stiff. Place it into a piping bag and pipe in a circular motion to get a nice aesthetic (or just whack it on).  Gently place the tops on the bottoms and get one in your gob.