A decadent dessert - but light and airy all at the same time.
A slice of Paris-Brest pastry - delicious creme patissiere and caramel filling. Yum!
Paris-Brest Pastry with Creme Patissiere & Homemade Caramel Sauce
Creme Patissiere (Pastry Cream):
In a medium saucepan (avoid non-stick coated pans), heat over medium heat until just boiling:
2 1/2 cup half & half OR whole milk
1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
In a small bowl, mix together:
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup half & half OR whole milk
Whisk the yolks/cornstarch mixture into the hot sugar/cream mixture. Increase the heat to medium-high to speed up the process, but whisk constantly and rapidly. Once the mixture thickens and starts to boil (I find it makes big, thick popping bubbles when done, and I quickly have to remove from heat to avoid getting burned), remove from heat and pour the pudding into a glass dish. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the pudding. Let cool at room temperature until it's cool enough to place in the refrigerator to completely chill. (I like to make this in the morning if I need it chilled by evening, or you can make it the day before).
Homemade Caramel Sauce:
This makes twice as much as you'll need for this dish, so make half the recipe if you don't want extra caramel sauce.
Butter an 8" x 8" glass dish and set aside on a cooling rack.
In a medium-large saucepan (avoid non-stick coated pans) place the following, mixing just a tiny bit and very gently:
4 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 c heavy/whole cream
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
generous pinch or two of salt
Use a candy thermometer to keep track of the temperature. Heat until 225 F.
Immediately remove from heat and add:
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
Pour the caramel into your prepared pan. Let cool on the cooling rack until you need to use it. Prior to using, mix the caramel around with a spoon. Any extra caramel can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered glass container once cool. Gently reheat before serving.
Choux Pastry (Pate a Choux):
Preheat oven to 360 F. (I find somewhere between 350 - 375 works perfectly). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium sized saucepan (avoid non-stick coated pans), heat the following over medium heat just til starting to boil:
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup salted butter
1 tsp sugar
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
Remove from heat and stir in quickly with a wooden spoon:
1 1/2 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix
Put the pot back on the heat and stir vigorously over the heat for 2 - 3 minutes. It should smooth during this time.
Remove from heat and place the dough into a mixer. Turn on the mixer speed to low. Let it mix for ~5-10 minutes, scraping occasionally. Your dough should look nice and shiny and be quite thick.
Add to the dough (one at a time or just all together):
4 large eggs, room temperature
You want to let the dough mix on medium to medium-high speed until it's nice and smooth, scraping occasionally. Scoop the dough into two freezer ziplocs (not absolutely necessary, but it's quite a thick dough and I find this helps avoid having a bag split while piping). Snip ~1" - 1 1/2" from the corner of the bag.
Using approximately 1/3 of the batter, pipe a large circle onto the parchment-lined paper. Pipe a second circle just outside (or inside) of your first circle with the next 1/3 of the batter. Using the last 1/3 of the batter, pipe a third circle on top of the first two circles.
Two rings piped with approximately 2/3 of the batter.
A final ring piped on top. You can smooth it with just a little water on your fingers, if desired.
Brush the top of your pastry with:
1 egg, beaten
And sprinkle the top with:
Sparkling sugar OR sliced almonds
We have nut allergies around here, so after brushing with egg I topped with coarse sugar crystals. They end up looking beautiful. However, you can top with slice almonds after adding the egg, if you prefer.
Immediately bake at 360 F for 50 - 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully slide your pastry onto a cooling rack. Have a friend help hold the cooling rack up in the air and quickly poke 7-8 holes in the bottom of your pastry. Poke a few holes around the edges of the pastry where you plan to slice it in half once cooled. *Choux Pastry does best if you give the hot air somewhere it can release so the pastry doesn't collapse on itself while cooling.*
Fresh from the oven - make sure to immediately slice air holes in sides and bottom to allow steam to escape.
I found it's easiest to get holes in the bottom by having someone hold the paris brest pastry up on a cooling rack and slicing little slivers from underneath.
Assembling your Paris-Brest Pastry
Once your creme patissiere, caramel sauce, and choux pastry have fully cooled,you're ready to assemble your Paris-Brest Pastry!
Carefully slice the Choux Pastry in half horizontally using a sharp bread knife. Set the top to the side. Place the bottom half of the choux pastry on the serving platter.
Scoop your homemade Creme Patissiere (Pastry Cream) in a large freezer ziploc. Cut the corner and pipe onto the bottom half of the pastry, ideally in a nice zigzag pattern.
Filled with creme patissiere - pipe it as you prefer, but I liked the look this gives once the top is put on.
Generously drizzle the Caramel Sauce on top of the Creme Patissiere.
A drizzle of homemade caramel sauce. Yum!
Place the top of the pastry back on, and dust generously with powdered sugar. Drizzle the top with more homemade caramel sauce and serve!
If you need to assemble in advance, keep refrigerated until serving - ideally assemble no more than a few hours before serving for the best results. Although, leftovers a day after still tasted delicious and so you could potentially assemble it longer in advance, if necessary.
Slice with a serated knife to serve. SO delicious. Enjoy!
Happy Birthday Ben! Excellent choice of desserts!
A slice of deliciousness.
And another, just for fun.
It was just stunning. And delicious. Mmmmm...
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