1. Preheat oven to 200˚C fanbake and line an oven tray with baking paper. Place water and butter in a pot with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the flour all at once and beat with a wooden spoon over the heat until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pot (about 1 minute). 
2. Remove from heat and transfer to a cake mixer or large mixing bowl. Leave for 2-3 minutes to cool a little before beating in eggs one at a time (this is best done with an electric beater). The mixture should be sticky and soft enough to drop from a spoon, but not spread out and lose its shape when spooned onto the trays. If it looks too thick add a little more egg.
3. To shape the éclairs, fit a large piping bag with a 2cm nozzle and pipe the choux mixture onto the baking paper in 8 sausage shapes, each about 12cm long. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a teaspoon. 
4. Bake until puffed and golden (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 150°C. Pierce a hole in the side of each eclair and return to oven for 5 minutes to dry out (this ensures they won’t collapse and go soft). Remove from oven and cool. 
5. To make the Coffee Cream Filling, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks then stir in the coffee liqueur. Cut the éclair shells in half with a serrated knife and gently spoon the flavoured cream inside. 
6. To make the Coffee Icing, stir the instant coffee into the boiling water to dissolve. Sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl, add the coffee mixture and vanilla and stir until smooth. Glide the icing onto the éclairs using a knife that has been dipped in warm water. Garnish with chopped pistachio nuts.

See more of Annabel's French dessert recipes

• Gougères
• Profiteroles with goat cheese and rosemary honey