To make the cream: 1) Add all your custard ingredients in a large saucepan and with the heat turned off, whisk them all together to combine. 2) Place your custard over medium heat and cook it, stirring the whole time until the custard thickens. Strain it through a fine sieve into a bowl, cover the custard with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic wrap is touching the custard) and pop it in the fridge completely.
To make the dough: 3) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 4) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 5) Put the water, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium low heat. Remove from heat. Add the flour all at once and stir well with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely mixed in.
6) Turn the heat back on to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Scrape the dough into a large bowl. 7) With a whisk or wooden spoon, beat in the eggs one at a time until all four eggs are well incorporated. 8) Fill a disposable piping bag that has been fitted with a large round tip with some of the dough (you will have to do these in batches) and pipe out 6 inch logs a few inches apart on your prepared baking sheets.
9) Brush the top of the eclairs with some water and bake them for 10 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 and continue baking them for an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. As soon as they come out of the oven, use a medium size piping tip and make a little hole at the end of each side so the steam can escape, allow to cool completely.
To make the Ganache: 10) Heat the cream in a small pan over medium heat until just below boiling point. 11) Pour the heated cream over the chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute then whisk until the chocolate has melted.
12) When ready to assemble, using a piping bag fitted with a medium size round tip, fill each shell and either dip the tops in the melted chocolate or spoon the chocolate over the top. 13) Allow them to set slightly before serving.