Pink eclairs

For the shells, Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and line a large baking tray with baking parchment.

Mix the flour and the salt, sifting once.

Add the water, sugar and butter to a saucepan, then heat on medium until the butter has melted. Bring the liquid to a slow boil, then remove it from the heat.

Incorporate the flour-salt mixture and mix it well until it comes together into a lump-free paste. Cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the bottom slightly catches, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let it cool down until slightly warm to the touch.

Once it is cold enough, incorporate the eggs, one at a time. Do not add the second egg until the first one is fully incorporated into the mixture. You need to get a smooth paste, that is not runny, but has a stiff and pipeable consistency.

Fill the dough into a piping bag with a large, open star head. Keep the piping bag at a 45-degree angle, and pipe about 8-10cm (3-4in) long pastry shapes onto the lined baking tray. If the dough forms small pointy tips, you can fix them with slightly wet fingers by pushing these pointy tops down a bit. Sift over the icing sugar.

Bake the shells immediately after piping, for about 15 minutes, then another 10-15 minutes at 150°C/Gas Mark 1 to dry them out properly without burning the surface. Make sure not to open the oven, as steam is crucial for the baking of choux pastry – without it the pastry will lose its airy structure and collapse immediately. The éclair shells are good if they hold their shape when you handle them.

Let them cool down completely on a cooling rack. Do not fill them warm.

For the glaze, mix together the icing sugar and water until you get a smooth paste with a slowly spreading consistency. You can colour it one shade of pink, or divide it into multiple shades to create a smooth, patterned glaze.

To assemble, slice the éclair shells in half along their long edge, then spray rose water onto the inner surface of each half, if desired.

Top the bottom half with whipped cream and fresh raspberries and close it with the upper half. Fill all the shells the same way.

Cover the top of each éclair with the pink glaze by using a teaspoon or a piping bag. If you have multiple shades of pink glaze, feel free to create interesting patterns by using a fork or a piping bag for the fine lines.

Sprinkle dried rose petals onto the surface of the glaze, before it sets. Once set, serve immediately.