Chef Yannick Piotrowski, a winner in the “Passion Dessert” selection of the 2021 MICHELIN Guide as well as head pastry chef of the one star MICHELIN French restaurant Origines has shared a No Butter Paris-Brest recipe.
It was in Maisons-Laffitte, France that the Paris-Brest was born. Pastry chef Louis Durand reportedly received a special request from Pierre Giffard, the founder of the eponymous cycling race, to invent a cake to celebrate the race and its riders. Hence the Paris-Brest has a round shape similar to that of a bicycle wheel.
No Butter Paris-Brest Recipe
For the hazelnut praline:
- 500g raw hazelnuts
- 200g brown sugar
- 4g fleur de sel
For the hazelnut cracker:
- 160g hazelnut oil
- 180g T45 flour
- 30g hazelnut powder
- 2g fleur de sel
For the oil choux pastry:
- 125g of milk
- 125g of water
- 130g neutral oil
- 3g of salt
- 2g of sugar
- about 200g of eggs
For the mascarpone mousseline cream:
- 250g of milk
- 250g 35% liquid cream
- 60g brown sugar
- 70g yolks
- 40g cream powder
- 300g hazelnut praline
- 8g NH pectin
- 500g mascarpone
Hazelnut praline:
- Roast the hazelnuts at 175° for 15 to 20 minutes, then leave to cool.
- Make a dry caramel with the sugar, heat the caramel to 185° then set aside on a silpat to cool.
- Mix the hazelnuts with the caramel in pieces until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture, add the fleur de sel and set aside.
Hazelnut cracker:
- Weigh all the ingredients in the bowl of your mixer, mix with the leaf until all the ingredients are completely incorporated.
- Roll out the dough to about 2mm, then punch out the cracker using a circle 22cm in diameter then open this disc with a circle 18cm in diameter, to obtain a ring of cracker.
Choux pastry with oil:
- In a saucepan, bring the milk, water, oil, salt and sugar to a boil for about 30 seconds. Off the heat, add the sifted flour all at once, mix briskly with a spatula, then dry the choux pastry over high heat for a few moments to obtain a smooth paste that no longer sticks to the sides of the pan. pan.
- Remove the choux pastry into the bowl of the mixer, let it cool slightly before adding the eggs, using the leaf, incorporate the beaten eggs in several times until a smooth, slightly shiny and supple.
- Using the piping bag fitted with a 16mm fluted nozzle, layer the choux pastry in 2 circles with a diameter of 20cm.
- Arrange the ring of hazelnut cracker on one of the two circles (the choux pastry without cracker will be used as an insert), then cook at 180° for 20/30 minutes with a rotating heat.
Mascarpone mousseline cream:
- Bring the cream and the milk to the boil, pour over the blanched yolks with the NH pectin and the brown sugar, cook the mixture over high heat while whisking briskly to prevent the cream from sticking to the pan. Set aside in a mixing bowl then add the hazelnut praline, cover in film and keep cold.
- Whip the mascarpone cream with a whisk to obtain a very firm texture (very important).
- Smooth the praline cream using a whisk, then gently incorporate the mascarpone cream with a spatula to obtain a light, smooth and creamy mousseline. Reserve in a pocket with a nozzle of your choice.
Assembly and finish:
- Using a serrated knife, carefully cut out the top of your Paris-Brest.
- Place the hazelnut praline in the lower part, pipe a ring of mousseline cream then place the ring of choux pastry topped with the hazelnut praline (insert).
- Pipe the mousseline cream evenly around the insert, arrange the choux pastry cap and decorate it as you like with broken hazelnuts, icing sugar, praline or other.