Eclairs with Tahitian vanilla and caramelised nuts

Prepare the choux pastry : Break 2 eggs into a bowl. Beat them lightly.  

Melt 12 cl of water, 50 g of butter, cut into pieces, and a pinch of salt, in a small saucepan.  

Remove from the heat and add 75 g of flour all at once. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes off the sides. Gradually add the beaten eggs.

Fill the piping bag with the mixture. Pipe éclairs on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  

Bake for about 12 minutes at 220 °C, then for 5 minutes in the oven with the door kept ajar with a wooden spoon.  

Prepare the vanilla crème pâtissière : Slice the vanilla pod in two, lengthwise, and remove the pulp.

Heat 50 cl of milk in a saucepan with the vanilla pulp. Meanwhile, whisk 6 egg yolks with 100 g of sugar. Incorporate 50 g of flour.  

Pour half of the boiling milk over the eggs while whisking. Return this to the saucepan, stirring all the while. Allow to boil, still stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer the cream to a bowl and leave to cool, covering with cling film.

Prepare the icing: in a bowl, mix 200 g of icing sugar into an egg white. Heat the bowl in a bain-marie while stirring.  

Assembly. Pierce the ends of the éclairs. Fill them with crème pâtissière using a piping bag. Spread the icing on top using a brush. Immediately top with a few nuts.