There's something truly special about a well-made éclair. The combination of a hollow, airy choux pastry, a creamy filling, and a glistening chocolate glaze can be heavenly. Renowned baker Joanne Chang shares this superb recipe that takes a classic dessert and makes it even better. She turns it into an experience, making the pastry cream lighter and fluffier by combining it with whipped cream.

Let's get started on the recipe.

You'll need the following for the choux pastry: 1 cup of water, 1 stick of unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar, a quarter teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and 4 large eggs.

For the pastry cream, gather: 2 cups whole milk, 1/4 of a vanilla bean (seeds scraped), half a cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, 5 tablespoons cake flour, a pinch of kosher salt, 1 large egg, 2 large egg yolks, and a quarter cup plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.

Finally, for the chocolate glaze, you'll need 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped, and 4 tablespoons of soft unsalted butter.

Begin by preheating your oven to 400°F. Boil water, butter, sugar, and salt over moderate heat in a saucepan. Take it off the heat, add flour and stir energetically until the mixture congeals and a film forms on the pan. Remove and mix in a large bowl at medium speed until slightly cooled. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each.

Put the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a one-inch round tip. Create 12 log shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and bake for an additional 30 minutes until golden brown. They should then be placed on a rack to cool.

Meanwhile, bring the milk, vanilla bean, and seeds just to a boil in another saucepan. Simultaneously, whisk sugar, cake flour, and salt in a separate bowl. Incorporate egg and egg yolks into this mix. Slowly pour the hot milk over this, whisking continuously. Return all the ingredients to the saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, keep whisking. When the pastry cream thickens after about 30 seconds, strain it into a bowl and refrigerate it.

Next, whip heavy cream in a bowl until soft peaks appear. Mix this whipped cream with the pastry cream until they are blended.

To prepare the chocolate glaze, melt the chocolate in a microwave, being cautious not to overcook it. Whisk in the butter until it's smooth.

Now, cut the éclair shells lengthwise using a serrated knife. Generously heap the pastry cream into the bottom half of each shell. Submerge the top half of the shell into the chocolate glaze, reassemble the éclair, and you're ready to serve.

But remember, this heavenly creation is a delicate composition – éclairs and cream puffs differ mostly in shape with éclairs being oblong and cream puffs rounded, but both stuffed with cream. The shells can be made months in advance and frozen, while the pastry cream can be prepared a day before. However, it is best to assemble just before you plan to serve to maintain the crispness and ensure maximum enjoyment.