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wc-Paris-Brest

This wonderful creamy treat is found in high-end bakeries around the world. The recipe itself here is quite simple, but it does require you have on hand some cream au beurre which is made with crème patissiere and some choux pastry on hand. So, no, this is not something you can whip up in a single hour. But, yes, if you have some time and want to make a top line dessert, this a grand selection.

The picture shows a dense creaming filling. That’s the crème au beurre where butter, added to a base of crème patisserie, gives you a denser filling. When chilled, the butter makes the cream quite firm and is better able to hold its shape, including the delicate folds when the crème is piped.

For Easter Sunday, there is surely no better breakfast pastry than this bright combination of choux and cream.

You can see my review of Patisserie Maison here. It’s a great book for learning how to make the classics with each and charm.


Paris Brest

Yield: makes 10-12 pastries

Ingredients:

  • 3 ½ ounces or 100g hazelnuts in their skins
  • 1 quantity creme au beurre, see below
  • 1 quantity choux pastry mixture, see below
  • 1 medium egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
  • Icing sugar, for dusting

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spread the hazelnuts out over a baking tray and put into the oven for about 10 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally so that they toast evenly. Take out of the oven, leave to cool, then crush half of them with a rolling pin and keep to one side. Put the rest into a coffee grinder, or use a pestle and mortar to grind them into a paste. Mix this into the creme au beurre, and keep to one side.

Snip the corner of a piping bag, if using a disposable one, insert a large star nozzle, fill with the choux pastry mixture, and then pipe 10—12 circles of around 8—10cm onto a silicone mat or non-stick baking tray (see picture on page 25). Brush lightly with the beaten egg. Scatter your reserved crushed nuts on top and put into the preheated oven.

Turn the oven down to 375°F and leave for about 15 minutes, until light golden and puffed up, turning the tray around halfway through. For the last few minutes of baking, prop the oven door slightly ajar with a wooden spoon to allow the steam to escape, and help the choux to dry out properly. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool.

Cut in half horizontally, pipe the base of each with the reserved hazelnut cream, replace the top and dust with icing sugar.


Crème au Beurre

Yield: about 10 ounces

Ingredients:

  • 7 ounces crème patissiere [recipe follows]
  • 3 ½ ounces butter, cut into pieces and allowed to become very soft

Preparation:

Take your cold creme patissiere from the fridge and whisk it until it has the consistency of a light mayonnaise, then whisk in the pieces of butter a little at a time until the cream is smooth and has turned quite white.


Crème Patissiere

Yield: about 10 ounces

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 3 medium eggs
  • 2 ounces or 60g caster sugar
  • 1 ounces or 25g plain flour

Preparation:

Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pan. Lay the vanilla pod on a chopping board and slice along its length with a sharp knife. Open out and scrape the seeds into the milk, then put the halved pods in too.

Put the eggs and sugar into a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Add the flour and mix until smooth.

Put the pan of milk over a medium heat, bring to just under the boil, take off the heat and slowly pour half of it into the egg, sugar and flour mixture, whisking well as you do so. Add the remainder of the milk and whisk in well, then pour the mixture back into the pan.

Bring to the boil, whisking all the time, then keep boiling and whisking for 1 minute, take off the heat and pour into a clean bowl.

Scoop out the halves of the vanilla pod. You can wash and dry them and keep them in a jar of sugar, which will give you vanilla-flavored sugar for use in all your baking. Cover the surface of the bowl with greaseproof paper straight away, as this will help to prevent a skin from forming. Cool and then keep in the fridge until ready to use.


Choux Pastry

Yield: 500 grams or 17 ½ ounces

Ingredients:

  • 4 ½ ounces or 125g plain flour
  • 4 medium eggs
  • 4 ½ ounces or 225ml water
  • 2 ounces or 60g butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Sieve the flour into a bowl and have the eggs ready in another bowl.

Bring the water, butter, and salt to the boil in a large pan.

Trip in the flour, whisking all the time.

Continue whisking until the mixture clings to the whisk and resembles mashed potato.

Swap the whisk for a wooden spoon and beat over the heat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is glossy and comes away from the edges of the pan cleanly. Then, if using a food mixer with a paddle attachment, transfer the mixture to the bowl now, otherwise leave the mixture in the pan and take the pan off the heat.

Add the eggs, one by one, either beating them in by hand or with the motor running.

Whether mixing by hand or by machine, go carefully with the eggs. Add them one at a time, making sure each one is well incorporated before adding the next. Before you add the last one, check the texture. You are aiming for a mixture that is smooth and glossy but that will hold its shape for piping (it is better to be slightly too stiff than too runny). If it is almost at this stage, you might not need to add all of the last egg.

Now the dough is ready to use.


Source: Patisserie Maison by Richard Bertinet [Ebury Press, 2015]