Rachael Coyle's Magic Eclair

Faithful Seattlest readers will recognize Rachael Coyle, connoisseur of pho, lover of steel-cut oats and pastry chef extraordinaire. Since April of 2007 she's been employed by Seattle's frenchiest café, Le Pichet, and last night--at the first Beaujolais Nouveau party of the weekend--we had the pleasure of tasting her masterpiece, a coconut cream éclair with chocolate glaze.

Actually, we'd ordered a portion of two ($6) but the place was so crowded we gave one away to a very nice, underfed woman standing next to us, who downed it in three bites. Our first bite was heavenly, a light-as-a-cloud pastry moistened with delicate pastry crè and a cover of bittersweet chocolate. 'Twas the second bite that got us, with some surprisingly crunchy coconut sprinkles. Ah, Rachael! And you got to be a guest at your own party, too, since you'd done all the desserts ahead of time. We saw you, glass of Beaujolais Nouveau in hand, having a great time!