Paris-Brest with Chantilly Cream and Raspberries

Once you have made choux pastry a few times and realize the process is fairly easy, you may feel ready to tackle a more elaborate dessert. A classic Paris-Brest is traditionally made by forming a large choux pastry ring. After baking, the pastry is split, filled with cream, and topped with hazelnut praline. However, this version is more straightforward, featuring Chantilly cream, almonds, and raspberries.

This type of dessert should be consumed on the same day it is made. Alternatively, you can prepare the ring or rings in advance and freeze them. When you're ready to serve, simply bake the frozen choux pastry, fill it with cream, and enjoy.

With the amount of ingredients listed below, making two choux pastry rings that are five and a half inches in diameter is preferable to making one large ring, as it takes less time to cook. If you opt for a large pastry ring, you will end up with a very large choux pastry—unless, of course, that is your goal.

INGREDIENTS

For the Choux Pastry

¼  cup water

¼  cup milk

½  stick of unsalted butter, cut into chunks

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Pinch of kosher salt

3 large, room-temperature eggs

For the topping

1 egg and milk or cream

⅛ cup of sliced almonds

For the filling

1 pint / 473 ml heavy cream

⅛ cup of sliced almonds

Recipe ingredients

One large choux pastry will yield a very large pastry

2 five and a half inches choux pastry is recommended

PREPARATION

Combine the water, milk, butter, and salt in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a firm spatula or wooden spoon to form a smooth dough. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until the mixture dries out and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Scrape the dough into a bowl and set it aside to cool for a minute. Alternatively, you can use a mixer to cool it down more quickly.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) in Convection or Convection Bake mode, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If you plan to freeze the choux pastry rings, you can skip this step.

Beat the eggs into the cooled dough one at a time, ensuring to mix well after each addition.

On the parchment paper, mark a 5.5-inch (14 cm) circle using a pencil. You can also use a small plate to draw the circle or make an 8-inch (20.3 cm) circle for one large pastry. I recommend making two smaller pastries.

You will need a ½ inch plain or star-shaped piping tip. Pipe two concentric rings and then add a third ring on top of the first two. Brush the pastry with a mixture of egg and milk (or cream) and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes; note that baking time may vary depending on your oven. Once the choux pastry is done baking, turn off the oven and leave the pastries inside for about 30 minutes to help them become crunchy. Then, remove them and let them cool.

Once the pastries are cool, cut them in half horizontally.

Next, beat the cream until it is firm. Using a piping bag, pipe the cream onto the bottom half of each pastry. Sprinkle with almond slices, and then place raspberries along the outer edge of the cream. Finally, place the top half of the pastry back on. Dust with powdered sugar, and your Paris Brest is ready to serve!

One Paris Brest serves 6 portions.