Paris-Brest

SERVES Serves 8 to 10

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Paris-Brest is a showstopper dessert that consists of a large ring of pâte à choux—the same pastry used to make éclairs and cream puffs—that is filled with hazelnut praline pastry cream and then sprinkled with chopped almonds and powdered sugar. To make this elegant dessert foolproof, we started with our pâte à choux recipe, which created a tender, but strong “case” for the cream filling. For a light cream filling that was firm and sturdy, we started with a flour-thickened pastry cream (which was more stable than the normal cornstarch-thickened version), added pulverized caramel-coated hazelnuts, and then folded in whipped cream that had been enriched with gelatin. Paris-Brest is a showstopper dessert that consists of a large ring of pâte à choux-the same pastry used to make éclairs and cream puffs-that is filled with hazelnut praline pastry cream and then sprinkled with chopped almonds and powdered sugar. To make this elegant dessert foolproof, we started with our pâte à choux recipe, which created a tender, but strong “case” for the cream filling. For a light cream filling that was firm and sturdy, we started with a flour-thickened pastry cream (which was more stable than the normal cornstarch-thickened version), added pulverized caramel-coated hazelnuts, and then folded in whipped cream that had been enriched with gelatin.

INGREDIENTS

subheading: Praline:

½ cup (3 ½ ounces) sugar

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

subheading: Pastry Dough:

4 large eggs

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

½ cup whole milk

⅓ cup water

2 ¾ teaspoons sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons toasted, skinned, and chopped hazelnuts

subheading: Cream Filling:

2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

¼ cup water

1 ½ cups half-and-half

5 large egg yolks

⅓ cup (2 ⅓ ounces) sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces and chilled

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

confectioners' sugar

note: BEFORE YOU BEGIN

An equal amount of slivered almonds can be substituted for hazelnuts. To skin the hazelnuts, simply place them in a clean kitchen towel after toasting, while they are still warm, and rub gently. Use a serrated knife to cut the dessert. See related how-to-cook for instructions on how to pipe the dough and filling using a zipper-lock bag.

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE PRALINE: Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; spray parchment with vegetable oil spray and set aside. Bring sugar, water, and lemon juice to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice to dissolve sugar. Cook without stirring until syrup is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, stir in nuts, and immediately pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet on wire rack and allow caramel to harden, about 30 minutes. FOR THE PRALINE: Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; spray parchment with vegetable oil spray and set aside. Bring sugar, water, and lemon juice to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring once or twice to dissolve sugar. Cook without stirring until syrup is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat, stir in nuts, and immediately pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet on wire rack and allow caramel to harden, about 30 minutes.

Directions at americastestkitchen.com

Never lose a recipe again, not even if the original website goes away! Use the Copy Me That button to create your own complete copy of any recipe that you find online. Learn more! It's free!

Page footer