This iconic French pastry classic will delight your palate with its crispy choux pastry crown filled with a luxuriously smooth praline mousseline cream and topped with sliced almonds. An elegant and indulgent dessert that will impress your guests with every delicious bite.
⏱️95 min
📊Medium
👥6 servings
🍽️Dessert
festivefamily
Ingredients
250 mlwater
100 gbutter
130 gflour
4 pièceseggs
100 gsliced almonds
30 gicing sugar
150 gbutter for the cream
150 gpraline paste
250 mlwhole milk
3 piècesegg yolk
50 gcaster sugar
Instructions
1PREPARE THE CHOUX PASTRY: In a saucepan, pour the water and add 100g of butter cut into pieces. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring regularly to dissolve the butter completely. Once the mixture boils vigorously, remove from heat and add all the flour at once, stirring energetically with a wooden spoon. Continue mixing for 1-2 minutes until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. This step is crucial for properly developing the pastry.
2INCORPORATE THE EGGS INTO THE CHOUX PASTRY: Let the pastry cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer it to a mixing bowl. Break the eggs one at a time and incorporate them progressively by mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon or using an electric mixer. After each egg, wait for the pastry to become smooth and glossy again before adding the next one. The final pastry must be smooth, glossy, and fall slowly from the spoon, indicating perfect consistency for piping.
3SHAPE THE CROWN: Preheat your oven to 200°C (gas mark 6-7). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a smooth 12-14mm nozzle. On the sheet, form a 20cm diameter crown by piping a continuous circle. Seal the junction well where the two ends meet to prevent them from separating during baking. Run a wet finger over any rough spots if needed to smooth everything out.
4DECORATE WITH ALMONDS AND BAKE: In a bowl, lightly mix the sliced almonds with the icing sugar using a fork. Generously sprinkle this mixture over the entire crown, pressing lightly so the almonds adhere. Bake at 200°C for 45-50 minutes until the crown is golden brown and crispy. You should be able to press it without the pastry deforming. Let rest for 10 minutes on the sheet before gently detaching with a knife.
5PREPARE THE PRALINE MOUSSELINE CREAM: Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a mixing bowl, whisk the 3 egg yolks with 50g of caster sugar for 2-3 minutes until the mixture becomes pale and foamy. Pour the hot milk over the yolks in a thin stream while whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from cooking. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula for 8-10 minutes until the cream coats the spatula and a finger mark remains visible. Do not exceed 85°C to avoid lumps.
6FINALIZE THE CREAM AND ASSEMBLY: Pour the pastry cream into a mixing bowl and let cool completely at room temperature for about 15 minutes, placing plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. In another bowl, beat 150g of soft butter (remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before) until pale and fluffy. Gradually incorporate the praline paste, mixing well. Then add the cooled pastry cream to the butter-praline mixture in three additions, folding gently but firmly to obtain a homogeneous, glossy, and light cream.
7FILL THE CROWN: Slice the choux pastry crown horizontally to create a wide cavity for the cream. Using a piping bag fitted with a smooth nozzle, generously fill the inside of the crown with the praline mousseline cream. You can also lightly dust the top with icing sugar. Refrigerate the Paris-Brest for at least 30 minutes before serving, which will allow the cream to set properly and the flavors to develop harmoniously.