1/2 c. butter
1 c. water
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 lg. eggs
Custard-Cream Filling
Traditional Glaze

Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat butter and water to a rolling boil. Add flour and salt all at once. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture becomes smooth and does not cling to side of pan. Remove from heat. Best in eggs 1 at a time. Beat until mixture no longer looks slippery. Assemble pastry bag with a plain round tip that has a 1/2" to 3/4" opening. Put mixture through pastry bag onto prepared cookie sheet, forming strips 1 1/2" thick and 4 1/2" long. Or use a small spoon to form strips of dough. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Cool away from draft. Split cold eclairs. Fill each with 3 to 4 tablespoons Custard-Cream Filling. Prepare Traditional Glaze. Spoon over filled eclairs, letting excess drip down sides. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 10 eclairs.

CUSTARD CREAM FILLING:

1/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. milk
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. whipping cream

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot milk mixture into egg yolk. Add egg yolk mixture to remaining hot milk mixture in saucepan. Stir over low heat another 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Cool. Whip cream; fold into cool custard. Makes enough to fill 10 eclairs.

(When I'm in a hurry I use a small package of French Vanilla Instant Pudding instead of making custard and fold in the whipped cream.)

TRADITIONAL GLAZE:

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. hot water

Or use recipe from Hershey's cocoa for substituting cocoa and vegetable oil to make 1 ounce of chocolate.

In a small saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Remove. Stir in sifted powdered sugar and water. Beat until smooth.