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Paris – Brest

Totally delicious and very famous French pastry made to commemorate the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race. Its circular shape represents a wheel. 

The perfect choux pastry is topped with almond slices and filled with the most delicious praline creme. 

It is one of the desserts which we made together with @chef_mark_de_jong in our cooking class.

It is not a time-consuming recipe, so you can prepare it to surprise your guests on special occasions.

Ingredients:

Pate a choux

  • 250 ml water
  • 100 gr butter
  • 5 gr salt
  • 155 gr all-purpose flour
  • 5 eggs
  • 100gr flaked almonds

Creme Patissiere

  • 500 ml milk
  • 90 gr granulated sugar
  • 60 gr corn starch
  • 5 egg yolks

Butter praline creme

  • 125 gr powdered sugar
  • 125 gr ground hazelnuts
  • 200 gr softened unsalted butter

Instructions:

Start by preparing the choux pastry. Bring to a boil the water, butter, salt, and sugar. Remove from heat, and while mixing with a wooden spoon, slowly add the flour. Let the mixture cool a little bit, and add the eggs one by one while mixing (you can use the wooden spoon or an electric mixer). Place the mixture into a piping bag with a 1 cm opening and pipe the choux pastry into a circle, overlapping until all the choux is used. Glaze the surface using a pastry brush with an egg yolk and sprinkle with flaked almonds. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 25-30 minutes until it reaches a golden brown color.

In the meantime, prepare the cream filling. Start with the creme patissiere. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and add the cornstarch. Add a small amount of the milk and continue whisking and pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan with the milk. On a medium/low temperature, continue whisking until the creme begins to thicken. 

Using an electric mixer, prepare the butter creme praline by mixing the sugar, ground hazelnuts, and butter and forming a paste. Add the paste to the creme patisserie, place in a piping bag with a 1cm opening and let it cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

Using a serrated knife, cut the previously baked and cooled choux pastry crosswise.  Pipe out the creme praline into the lower part of the choux pastry ring, forming big swirls. Cover with the top with the other half of the choux pastry. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

As a serving suggestion, I would recommend using fresh strawberries. 

Bon Appétit