Saturday, January 21, 2012

Paris-Brest

Paris-Brest is a dessert made of Choux Pastry and a Praline flavoured cream with a circular shape representing a wheel.
It was created in 1891 to commemorate the Paris-Brest bicycle race - a 1200 Km race from Paris to Brest and back to Paris.

According to Le Figaro, La Pâtisserie des Rêves is known to make the best Paris-Brest in Paris!






Ingredients: 

Pâte à Choux:
1 cup water
1 cup milk
8 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup flour
5 large eggs

Cookie Top:
3 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel


Crème Pâtissière:
2 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt


Praline Buttercream:
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons water
1 cup crushed hazelnut
3 large eggs
2/3 cup suger
1 cup butter, softened

Praline Buttercream:
In  a small suacepan, over medium heat combine sugar and water.
cook until a pale caramel is formed.
Add the hazelnut, mix well, cook longer until hazelnut is toasted.
Pour mixture onto a baking sheet.
When cold, reduce to fine powder using a food processor.

In a heatproof bowl over simmering water, whisk eggs and sugar until volume is tripled and color turns pale. See below for color.
Continue beating until slightly cool.
Add butter and continue to whisk.
Combine the hazelnut powder, mix well to combine and refrigerate.



Pâte à choux:
Preheat oven to 350 degree.
In a medium saucepan combine water, milk, butter, sugar and salt.
Bring to a boil, add flour all at once and whisk with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed, 5-6 minutes.
Remove from heat, let the pate cool down a little and add one by one the eggs, beating vigorously until well combine.
Place dough in a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe in a form of a circle.
To make things easier, draw your circles on a parchment paper, then flip the paper and pipe your circles.
Bake for 35-45 minutes.
Cool on a baking rack.
Carefully, split in half the cake with a sharp knife.



Cookie dough:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
Work well with your fingers to form a dough.
Roll into a ball and refrigerate to 30 minutes.
Roll out and using a cookie cutter cut circles.
Put one circle on top of the pâte à choux.








Crème Pâtissière:
In a medium saucepan, slowly bring milk, and vanilla to boil.
In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar, salt.
Pour the boiling milk over the egg mixture, a little at a time.
Pour back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat.
Let it cool down slightly.
Add the Praline Buttercream and mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before piping.

To assemble:
With a piping bag, fill the choux with buttercream.
Dust with Confectionery sugar and serve.

Enjoy!




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