1. Prepare the pastry cream. Sift the flour. In a saucepan, bring the milk, water, sugar, salt and butter to a boil. Remove from heat. Incorporate the sifted flour into the hot liquid, mixing
energetically with a spatula until homogenous.

2. Return the saucepan to low heat and stir vigorously for 1 minute to pull out the moisture from the batter, so that it forms a mass and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Transfer batter to a large bowl and allow to cool.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, carefully incorporating each into the batter with a spatula. When homogenous, pipe into the desired form for éclairs.

4. Prepare the choux pastry. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape the interior to remove the seeds. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover immediately and allow to infuse for 15 minutes.

5. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until slightly pale. Incorporate the
corn flour. Remove the vanilla pod from the saucepan and reheat the milk over the egg yolk, sugar and cornstarch mixture (to temper the yolks). Whisk together and pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan.

6. Bring to a boil while stirring with a whisk. Remove from heat and pour the cream into a bowl. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Incorporate the butter while stirring. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap until ready to use.

7. Preheat the oven to 180°C . Transfer the dough to the piping bag fitted with the 10-mm plain tip. On a buttered baking sheet, pipe 12-cm long strips. Place in oven and bake.

8. After 8 to 10 minutes, when they will have started to puff up, open the oven door very slightly to allow steam to escape. Bake the éclairs for approximately 30 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar, until golden. Remove éclairs from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

9. For the chocolate pastry cream, remove pastry cream from the refrigerator and pour into a large bowl. Whisk until smooth eliminating any lumps.

10. Using a knife, chop the chocolate on a cutting board and place in another large bowl.

11. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and pour over the chopped chocolate. Stir together. Once again, whisk the pastry cream until smooth and incorporate the milk and chocolate mixture (ganache) until homogeneous. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until firm.

12. For the filling, using the 8-mm plain tip without the piping bag, poke 3 holes in the base of each éclair, one in the center and the others 2 cm from each end. Transfer the chocolate pastry cream to the piping bag fitted with the 8-mm plain tip. Fill the cooled éclairs by piping cream into the holes.

13. For the chocolate fondant, place the pouring fondant in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally to soften. Meanwhile, using a knife, chop the chocolate on a cutting board and place in another heatproof bowl.

13. When the fondant is lukewarm, remove from heat and put the bowl of chocolate over the simmering water in its place to melt. In a saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil to obtain a syrup. Mix the melted chocolate into the softened fondant. Add the syrup and stir until smooth. Dip the tops of the éclairs into this preparation to glaze and allow to cool.