Coco's Deconstructed Cocoa Eclair With Smoked Paprika Caramel

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, whole milk, and salt. Stir until butter melts and mixture reaches a simmer.

Add flour and cocoa powder all at once. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the pan and forms a ball, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a stand mixer bowl and let cool 5 minutes.

With mixer on medium, add eggs one at a time, beating each fully before adding the next. After all three eggs, beat until the dough is smooth, glossy, and falls in a thick ribbon when lifted.

Spoon dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm round tip. Pipe 10-12cm lengths onto prepared sheets, spacing 5cm apart. Dust with cocoa powder through a fine sieve.

Bake at 200°C for 12 minutes, then reduce to 180°C and bake 10-12 minutes more until deeply puffed and firm. Remove from oven, cut a 2cm slit in the side of each to release steam, and return to oven off for 2 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cool, crack the éclairs deliberately with your hands into irregular shards. The chaos is intentional. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, cook white sugar without stirring until edges begin to melt and turn amber, about 6-8 minutes. Swirl the pan gently when you see golden color forming at the edges.

Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the caramel reaches a deep mahogany color and smells of burnt toffee, about 4 more minutes. Remove from heat immediately when the first wisps of smoke appear.

Carefully whisk in butter (it will bubble violently). Add heavy cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly. The caramel will seize—keep whisking over low heat until smooth.

Stir in smoked paprika and salt. Strain through a fine sieve if needed. Keep warm over the lowest possible heat, or reheat gently before serving.

Whisk egg and white sugar in a bowl until pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in cocoa powder and vanilla extract until smooth.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream and salt to a bare simmer. Remove from heat. Pour one-third of the hot cream into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to temper.

Return the tempered mixture to the remaining hot cream in the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and reaches 82°C, about 4-5 minutes. Do not boil.

Strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent skin forming. Refrigerate until cold and thickened, at least 2 hours.

Using a warm spoon, form a quenelle of the chilled pastry cream. Alternatively, spoon a generous dollop onto each plate.

Arrange 3-4 cocoa choux shards around and leaning against the pastry cream, varying angles for drama. They should look like they've just collapsed beautifully.

Spoon warm smoked paprika caramel over the shards and let it drip down onto the plate. Finish with shavings of dark chocolate and a pinch of smoked paprika. Serve immediately.