Paris Brest Recipe

Heat liquids and butter

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). In a medium saucepan combine 125 ml milk, 125 ml water, 100 g unsalted butter, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat.

Add flour and form panade

Remove pan from heat and immediately add 150 g all-purpose flour all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together into a smooth ball and a film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 1–2 minutes.

Cool and incorporate eggs

Transfer the dough to a bowl or keep in pan and let cool for 3–4 minutes (to avoid cooking the eggs). Beat in eggs one at a time, incorporating each fully before adding the next. Final dough should be glossy and pipeable — if too stiff add a little beaten egg white or one more egg? adjust to reach pipeable consistency. The recipe lists 4 large eggs as a guideline; you may need slightly less or more depending on your eggs.

Pipe rings and bake

Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (12–14 mm). On a baking sheet lined with parchment, pipe 2 concentric rings (or one single large ring ~20–24 cm diameter) of choux about 2–3 cm high; pipe a second identical ring on another sheet if making two portions. Brush tops lightly with a little beaten egg for shine and sprinkle some chopped toasted hazelnuts on top if desired. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes, then reduce oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake for an additional 20–25 minutes until deep golden and puffed. Do not open oven while baking. When done, turn off oven, open oven door slightly and let shells dry in oven for 10 minutes to prevent collapse.

Cool

Remove shells to a rack and cool completely before filling, about 30–40 minutes.

Toast and caramelize: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Spread 200 g hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast 10–12 minutes until fragrant and skins blister. Rub nuts in a clean kitchen towel to remove loose skins. In a heavy skillet or saucepan, melt 150 g granulated sugar over medium heat without stirring (swirl pan occasionally) until it becomes amber caramel. Be careful not to burn.

Combine nuts and caramel: Quickly add toasted hazelnuts to the caramel and stir to coat. Pour mixture onto a silicone mat or parchment and cool until fully set. Break into pieces.

Blend to paste: Place cooled praline shards in a food processor and pulse until they turn into a smooth paste, scraping down sides as needed (this can take several minutes). Add 1 tsp neutral oil and 1/4 tsp sea salt toward the end to loosen and balance flavor. Measure out 80 g praline paste for the mousse and reserve the rest for garnish or other uses.

Bloom gelatin (if using)

If using gelatin, place 1 sheet in 15 ml cold water to soften while preparing the custard.

Make caramel custard base

In a small saucepan heat 80 g sugar over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until a deep amber caramel forms. While sugar caramelizes, whisk 4 egg yolks in a bowl. When caramel is ready, carefully and gradually add 60 ml warm milk to the caramel to stop cooking (it will steam). Stir to combine to make a caramel-milk mixture. Slowly temper the hot caramel-milk into the yolks by adding a few tablespoons at a time while whisking continuously to avoid scrambling. Return mixture to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (do not boil). Remove from heat and whisk in 30 g unsalted butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract. If using gelatin, squeeze excess water from the sheet and stir gelatin into the warm custard until dissolved. Allow custard to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally so it stays smooth.

Whip cream and fold

Whip 300 ml chilled heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold about one-third of whipped cream into the cooled caramel custard to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until homogeneous. Fold in 80 g praline paste until streaks disappear and mousse is evenly colored and flavored. Chill mousse until slightly firm but still pipeable, about 20–30 minutes in refrigerator.

Split choux rings: Using a serrated knife, carefully slice cooled choux rings horizontally into top and bottom halves. Reserve tops for dusting and presentation.

Pipe mousse: Transfer caramel-praline mousse to a piping bag fitted with a round or star tip. Pipe generous rings or dollops of mousse onto the bottom halves of each choux ring, creating even height all around. Press a few roughly chopped toasted hazelnuts into the mousse for crunch.

Finish: Place the top halves back onto the filled bottoms. Dust with powdered sugar and sprinkle additional chopped toasted hazelnuts over the top. Drizzle optional caramel sauce over or around the Paris-Brest for presentation.

Chill and serve: Refrigerate the assembled Paris-Brest for at least 30 minutes to let the mousse set. Serve chilled or at cool room temperature. Leftovers keep refrigerated up to 2 days (pastry will soften over time).