Make the Choux Pastry (the "buns")

• Line 2 large baking trays with parchment, and preheat your oven to 200 deg celcius (~395 deg F).
• Sift the flour, and set aside.
• Add the milk, water, and butter into a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine.
• When the butter has melted and the mixture has come to a boil, remove from heat, and beat in the sifted flour with a wooden spoon.
• Return the saucepan to the heat and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes.
• Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, until it is just warm (not hot).
• Using a stand mixer, add a little bit of eggs at a time, and beat until fully incorporated. The mixture should be thick and glossy.
• Transfer the choux dough to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle. *This is according to how large you want your resulting eclairs to be – I use two different nozzles of roughly this size with good results – my eclairs were about 4.5 inches (11.4cm) in length once baked.
• Pipe them onto your prepared baking sheets in thin strips 9-10cm (3.5-4in) long, leaving at least 5cm (2in) between them, as they expand a lot during baking.
• Bake for 25 min, or until well risen and golden brown. They should sound hollow if tapped underneath. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. *If not using same day – once cooled, these can be stored in airtight bags in the freezer until you need to use them.
• For simplicity – wash your saucepan, as you will use it again in the following steps.

Make the Pastry Cream (the filling)

• Slit the vanilla pod open lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with the flat edge of a knife into your saucepan. Add both the seeds and the pod, as well as the milk, into your pan. Bring to a boil over med heat, then remove from heat and set aside.
• Beat the sugar, eggs yolks, and cornstarch together in a large bowl.
• Gradually pour in a bit of hot milk at a time, and continue whisking, until all the milk is incorporated. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and cook over a low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. *The mixture may go lumpy partway through, but continue stirring and it will smooth out again.
• Once thickened, lower the heat, and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, and mix in the butter, followed by the rosewater.
• Transfer to a heatproof bowl, and press a sheet of cling film (saran wrap) to the surface of the cream, and leave to cool. *It's important that the sheet is directly on the surface of the cream, and not just on the bowl – otherwise, your cream will form a skin.
• Whip your heavy cream (aka double cream) to soft peaks. Once your pastry cream is cool, stir it vigorously, and then fold in your whipped cream gently. Taste and adjust the rose flavor if necessary.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 5mm nozzle (for filling your eclairs). Make a small hole in the tip of your eclair, insert the nozzle, and fill the eclairs generously. *See video for reference on how to do this.

Make the Fondant Icing

• Sift the icing sugar, and stir in lemon juice. Gradually add enough water to give the consistency of "thick treacle". Add your food coloring. *Don't be tempted to think this mixture too much. 2 tbsp of water will appear to leave you with too thick of a consistency, but it should be about right for it to set without running off your pastry. Test it on an eclair before thinning further.
• Dip the eclairs until the tops are covered, then leave to set, and add rose petals as desired.

• Preheat the oven to 425 deg F, and line two baking sheets with parchment. *Mary's recipe just says grease two baking sheets – I find parchment safer and more effective.
• Measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
• Beat the eggs in a large liquid measuring cup. Then add milk until you have a total of 300mL. Place about 2 tbsp of the mixture aside for glazing the scones later.
• Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring gently just until you have a soft dough. The mixture will be on the wet side, sticking to your fingers. *Do not be tempted to overwork your dough, it will make your scones dense.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and flatten gently with your hands (or a rolling pin) to a thickness of 1/2-3/4in (1.25-2cm). Using a 2inch (5cm) cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out your scones. *Dipping your cutter in flour first will allow you to cut more effectively. Careful not to twist or turn your cutter on the way down. Push straight down so your scones will rise evenly. Re-roll your dough and cut as needed.
• Arrange the scones on the prepared baking sheets, and brush the tops with the reserved egg mixture. Bake 10-15 min, until well risen and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, covered with a tea towel to keep them moist.

• Preheat your oven to 375 deg F (190 deg C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs. Stir in chocolate, coconut, and pecans.
• In a small bowl, whisk together cream, 1 egg, and vanilla extract. Add to flour mixture, stirring until a shaggy dough begins to form. Working gently, bring mixture together with your hands until a firm dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently until smooth. Pat down and fold your dough in half 4-5 times. Using a rolling pin, roll to 3/4 inch (~2cm). Using a 2inch (5cm) cutter dipped in flour, cut out as many scones as possible (without twisting). Reroll and cut the scraps as needed.
• Place scones 2 in apart on baking tray, and freeze till firm, 15-20 min.
• Whisk remaining egg, and brush the tops of scones with the egg wash.
• Bake 15 min, or until edges are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center of a scone comes out clean.

Make the Jelly (~6 hrs, 15 min)

• To a small saucepan, add sugar, mint, and lime zest. Add 100 mL of water, and set the pan over low heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and continue to cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and let infuse for ~2 hrs.
• Soak the gelatin leaves in a large bowl with cold water for 10 minutes, until softened.
• Meanwhile, strain the lime mint infusion through a fine mesh strainer into a clean saucepan. Bring back to a boil, and then immediately remove from heat. Squeeze any excess water from the gelatin leaves, and add them to the hot syrup. Stir until melted and smooth.
• Carefully open the sparkling cider bottle. Pour the hot syrup into a large (4cup+) liquid measuring cup. Very slowly, pour 1/4 of the cider down the inside of the jug/pitcher. Mix to combine, and then slowly add the remaining cider. *Go slowly, so as to prevent this fizzing up and losing the carbonation at any point. Carefully pour the mixture into small glasses or champagne flutes. Chill in the fridge until set, at least 4 hours.

Make the Lime Mint Foam topper (2 hours, 15 min)

• Pour lime juice, caster sugar, and mint sprigs into a small saucepan. Set pan over low heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, simmer 30 seconds, and remove from heat. Cool for 1 hr to infuse the syrup.
• Soak the gelatin leaves in a large bowl with cold water for 10 minutes, until softened.
• Meanwhile, strain the lime mint infusion through a fine mesh strainer into a clean saucepan. Bring back to a boil, and then immediately remove from heat. Add this to a liquid measuring cup, and add water as needed to make 3/4 cup liquid.
• Squeeze any excess water from the gelatin leaves, and add them to the hot syrup. Stir until melted and smooth. Leave to cool completely.
• Using a hand whisk or frother (a cold milk frother of any kind is the best tool I've found for this), beat the syrup furiously until it foams coam into clouds of minty lime bubbles. Spoon a little foam on top of your cold jellies, and allow to set for about 1 hour in the fridge before serving.

• To make the crab mayonnaise, mix all ingredients except the crab. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Mix to combine.
• Add the crab, and stir to combine.
• Using a serrated knife, cut the eclair buns in half, lay greens in the bottom of each bun, and top with crab mayonnaise. Keep chilled if not serving immediately.