Espresso and Lime

Vanilla Pastry Cream
1 Place 2 cups of whole milk in a medium saucepan over medium high heat, stirring consistently and as soon as the milk begins to boil, remove from saucepan from the heat
2 In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt
3 Whisk in 4 egg yolks until everything is well combined and smooth
4 Slowly drizzle the hot milk into the whipped yolks, stirring constantly, until everything is fully combined
5 Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return it to the stovetop over medium high heat until it begins to gently boil
6 Whisk consistently until the sauce thickens into a pudding like consistency
7 Remove the pastry cream from heat and transfer it into a glass bowl
8 Whisk in the vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of softened butter until the filling appears smooth and creamy
9 Cover with plastic wrap, gently pressing down so that the plastic wrap sits directly on top of the filling
10 Refrigerate the pastry cream until fully chilled
Choux Pastry
1 Combine 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of milk, 8 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat
2 Once the mixture begins to boil, remove the saucepan from heat and stir in 1 cup of all purpose flour with a wooden spoon
3 Once the flour is completely incorporated, return the saucepan to medium heat for about two minutes stirring with the wooden spoon constantly *You will know that the pastry dough is ready when a thin film begins to form on the bottom of your saucepan. At this time, remove the saucepan from heat
4 Preheat oven to 425 degrees
5 Transfer the pastry dough into a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer for about 90 second to cool the dough a bit
6 Add the 4 large eggs (one at a time) mixing with a hand mixer until each egg is fully incorporated and the dough appears smooth
7 Transfer the pastry dough into a pastry bag with a 1/2" round tip. If you do not have a pastry bag, use a gallon size plastic bag and cut a small corner off
8 Pipe 4" long strips over a silicone lined baking sheet keeping them about two inches apart 
9 Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the pastry shell is golden brown and fully puffed
10 Remove the baked pastry shells from the oven and transfer them onto a cooling rack
Espresso Chocolate Ganache
1 Place 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream into a small saucepan over medium heat and when it is just beginning to simmer, pour the hot heavy cream over 2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Let the chocolate and heavy cream sit untouched for two minutes
3 Add 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder and whisk until smooth and glossy
Assembly
1 Remove the fully cooled filling from the refrigerator and transfer it into a pastry bag with a small tip
2 Poke a few small holes on the underside of each pastry shell with a sharp knife
3 Gently insert the pastry tip into each hole and press a small amount of filling into the shell
4 Remove any additional filling from the exterior of the shells
5 Gently dip the tops of each shell into the chocolate ganache and allow excess to drip off
6 Transfer the filled and dipped eclairs onto the cooling rack and chill them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve