Éclair
An éclair (, ; ) is a pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with a flavored icing. The dough, which is the same as that used for profiterole, is typically piped into an oblong shape with a pastry bag and baked until it is crisp and hollow inside. Once cool, the pastry is filled with custard ("crème pâtissière"), whipped cream or chiboust cream, then iced with fondant icing. Other fillings include pistachio- and rum-flavoured custard, fruit-flavoured fillings, or chestnut purée. The icing is sometimes caramel, in which case the dessert may be called a bâton  de Jacob. A similar pastry in a round rather than oblong shape is called a Religieuse. Etymology. The word comes from the French "éclair", meaning "flash of lightning", so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash); however some believe that the name is due to the glistening of the frosting resembling lightning. History. The éclair originated during the nineteenth century in France where it was called "pain à la Duchesse" or "petite duchesse" until 1850. The word is first attested both in English and in French in the 1860s. Some food historians speculate that éclairs were first made  by Antonin Carême (1784–1833), the famous French chef. The first known English-language recipe for éclairs appears in the "Boston Cooking School Cook Book" by Mrs. D.A. Lincoln, published in 1884. North America. Some pastry chains in the United States and Canada market Long John doughnuts as "éclairs" or "éclair doughnuts". In the United States there is National Chocolate Eclair Day which is celebrated on the 22nd of June annually.