Paris-brest For Two Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fit a large round piping template (about 8–9 inches / 20–23 cm circumference ring) under the parchment if you want even circles. Use a piping bag with a 1/2 inch round tip.

Make the choux

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup water, 1/4 cup milk, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Heat over medium until butter melts and mixture just comes to a boil.

Remove pan from heat and add 1 cup sifted flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a smooth ball and pulls away from the pan (about 20–30 seconds). Return to low heat and cook, stirring, 1 minute to dry slightly.

Transfer dough to a bowl and let cool 3–4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough should be smooth and glossy and fall slowly from a spoon. You may not need the full third egg; adjust to achieve pipeable consistency.

Transfer choux to a piping bag. Pipe two concentric rings (top and bottom halves) about 3 inches (7–8 cm) in diameter or a single ring ~6–7 inches depending on template; for a classic Paris-Brest pipe a ring about 6–7 inches in diameter, using two layers (pipe one ring, then pipe another ring directly on top for height). Smooth joins with a wet finger.

Brush rings lightly with beaten egg for shine. Sprinkle chopped toasted hazelnuts over tops and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 15–20 minutes until puffed, deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Do not open oven during baking. When baked, remove and cool on a rack. Once cool, slice each ring horizontally into top and bottom halves with a serrated knife.

Spread 3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly toast in a 325°F (160°C) oven 6–8 minutes if not already toasted. Let cool slightly.

In a small heavy saucepan, heat 1/2 cup granulated sugar over medium without stirring until it begins to melt at the edges. Gently swirl the pan and, once syrup turns amber, carefully stir to melt remaining sugar to an even caramel. Watch closely to avoid burning.

Quickly add toasted hazelnuts to the caramel and stir to coat. Immediately transfer the caramelized nuts to a piece of parchment to cool and harden. When cool, break into pieces and put in a food processor. Process until a smooth paste forms (several minutes), scraping down sides as needed. Set praline paste aside (about 1/4 cup yield).

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/4 cups whole milk with the scraped seeds of the vanilla bean (or 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract) and the orange zest until just simmering. Remove from heat and let steep 10 minutes to infuse flavors.

In a bowl whisk together 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 3 teaspoons cornstarch until pale and slightly thickened.

Bring the milk back to a gentle simmer. Gradually temper the yolk mixture by whisking in about 1/3 cup of hot milk to the yolks, then another 1/3 cup, whisking constantly to avoid curdling. Pour tempered yolk mix back into the saucepan with remaining milk.

Return saucepan to medium heat and whisk constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil (about 1–2 minutes). Boil gently 30 seconds while whisking to cook out starch taste. Remove from heat.

Whisk in 3 tablespoons cold cubed butter, one piece at a time, until smooth and glossy. Stir in 1/4 cup prepared praline paste and 1 teaspoon orange liqueur (if using) until fully incorporated. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps and the zest/vanilla pod remnants.

Cover pastry cream with plastic film pressed directly on the surface to prevent skin forming. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours or overnight.

When the pastry cream is cold, transfer it to a bowl and beat briefly to loosen. Add 2 tablespoons softened butter and beat until smooth and fluffy to make a mousseline-style cream.

In a separate chilled bowl, whip 1/2 cup cold heavy cream to medium peaks. Gently fold one third of the whipped cream into the mousseline to lighten, then fold in the remaining cream until fully incorporated and smooth. Taste and adjust with additional 1/4 teaspoon orange zest or a pinch of salt if desired.

Spoon or pipe the praline mousseline onto the bottom half of the cooled choux ring in an even layer about 1/2–3/4 inch thick. Add a small border of extra chopped toasted hazelnuts in the filling if you like added crunch.

Replace the top half of the choux ring. Dust top lightly with confectioners' sugar and scatter remaining chopped hazelnuts for garnish.

Chill the assembled Paris-Brest at least 30 minutes to set before serving. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature. Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.