Paris Brest

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A celebration in pastry form, the Paris-Brest is instantly recognizable by its elegant, wheel-like shape. Conceived in 1910 by the ingenious pâtissier Louis Durand, its very form is a homage to the famed Paris–Brest bicycle race it was created to commemorate. The circular choux pastry is a direct nod to a bicycle wheel, a tribute to the endurance of the cyclists. While the classic version, with its simple yet divine filling of praline buttercream, remains a timeless masterpiece, this gourmet iteration is a symphony of modern indulgence. The journey begins with the pâte à choux itself, crowned with a crusty, decadent chocolate crumble that bakes into a delightful, crackly texture. Once split open, the true revelation is unveiled: the airy wheel is generously filled with a luscious hazelnut diplomate cream—a lighter, silkier cousin to the traditional buttercream. Layered within this creamy cloud are ribbons of soft, salty caramel and rich hazelnut spread, each bite offering a complex play of textures and a deep, nutty sweetness that is utterly irresistible. This is not merely an update; it is a worthy and glorious evolution of a classic.

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The ultimate Paris-Brest

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Pate A Choux

Pipe two 9-inch/23cm wheels. Pate a choux can be made awhile in advance and kept frozen for up to 3 months.

Chocolate Hazelnut Crumble

In a food processor, pulse butter with flour and cocoa powder. Add sugar and blend well. Divide pastry into 2 equal portions.
In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg white with a pinch of salt, and set aside.
Divide pastry into 2 equal portions. Roll out the first crumble portion into a 0.75-inch/2cm thick round between 2 parchment papers. Brush pastry with some of the beaten egg whites. Top with half of the crushed hazelnuts (60g).
Put parchment back on top, gently tap with the rolling pin. Roll into a 0.24-inch/6mm thick round, and freeze for 30 min. Size up crumble round into a 9.5’’/25cm diameter wheel (it should matches the size of the pate a choux wheel). Repeat with remaining crumble, and freeze.
Trim off each wheel into 9-inch/23cm disk, and make a 4.3-inch/11cm hole in the center. Keep crumble wheels frozen until ready to use.
Place the frozen chocolate hazelnut crumble on top of the pate a choux wheel. Dust with powdered sugar.

Baking

Preheat fan oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Bake wheel (one at the time) for 50 minutes. Turn oven off, and leave door ajar for 10 min. Remove cake from the oven, and let cool.

Hazelnut Praliné (Quick Method)

Toast hazelnuts for about 10 minutes in a 330ºF/160ºC fan oven.
Praliné can also be made with 50% hazelnuts and 50% almonds. Quick method: Cook sugar to a dark amber caramel. If using vanilla paste or extract, add it later when processing nuts. Carefully, transfer caramel onto a silicone baking mat, and spread onto a thin sheet. Sprinkle with salt or add it later when processing. Let cool completely and break caramel into small pieces. Throw toasted nuts and caramel in the food processor; turn into paste. Praliné can be stored in a cool area for months. Stir up praliné prior to use as fat will rise to the top.

Soft Caramel

Soak gelatin in cold water to soften; drain and set aside. Heat up heavy cream with milk, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Meanwhile, make a caramel by cooking sugar with corn syrup to dark amber caramel stage. Remove caramel from the heat, and deglaze with the hot cream mixture. Put heat back on, and stir up caramel mixture - let simmer for 5 min. Transfer to a narrow container – Mix for a few seconds with an immersion blender. When caramel mixture reaches 140ºF/60ºC, add gelatin and then butter – mix well. Refrigerate soft caramel completely prior to use. Leave out to soften up before using.

Hazelnut Diplomate Cream

Place a baking tray lined with plastic wrap in the freezer. Soak gelatin in cold water to soften; drain and set aside. In a medium size saucepan, bring milk, vanilla and a third of the sugars to a boil. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with remaining sugars and starches. Temper yolk mixture with a third of the hot milk, then add remaining milk, and transfer mixture back to the saucepan mixing swiftly. Bring to a boil, and cook custard for 2 minutes whisking constantly. Turn off the heat, and add soften gelatin and mascarpone. Blend with an immersion blender. Transfer custard onto the frozen baking tray. Cover custard with plastic wrap in contact and refrigerate.
When ready for the montage, smooth out custard and add hazelnut praliné. Note that a few drops of coffee extract can be added to the praliné custard to enhance color and taste. Transfer custard to a large pastry bowl. Meanwhile, whip heavy cream to medium-firm peaks, and fold in custard.

Montage

Carefully, slice out the pate a choux wheel horizontally. To ease piping, push down some of the pate a choux membranes that are inside the wheel. Using a large open star pastry tip, pipe out 2 circles of hazelnut diplomate cream next to each other.
Top center with a thick ring of hazelnut praliné, followed by 2 thin pipings of soft caramel. Repeat this step once but without adding more praliné. Then add a third layer of diplomate cream. Put the Paris-Brest lid back on, and decorate with soft caramel along with sliced hazelnuts, or almonds.

Storage

Refrigerate Paris-Brest a couple of hours before serving. Paris-Brest can be stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. It could also be kept frozen for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

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