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Classic Paris-Brest

by Merlin Labron-Johnson
  1. Classic Paris-Brest
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This classic Paris-Brest recipe from Merlin Labron-Johnson is a work of patisserie art, with crispy almond-topped choux pastry encasing mounds of silky praline cream.

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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Choux

Praline cream

  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 500g of milk
  • 90g of praline paste
  • 150g of egg yolk
  • 120g of sugar
  • 50g of flour
  • 30g of cornflour
  • 50g of cream, lightly whipped

Croquant

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Equipment

  • Food mixer with whisk attachment
  • Drum sieve
  • Piping bag and nozzle
  • Silpat mat

Method

1
To begin, make the choux pastry. Bring the milk, water, sugar and butter to the boil then incorporate the flour and salt
  • 5g of salt
  • 250ml of milk
  • 250ml of water
  • 130g of butter
  • 20g of sugar
  • 250g of flour
2
Using a rubber spatula, work the paste over a medium heat until it is quite dry and coming away from the edges of the pan. Transfer the paste to a stand mixer and whisk until cool
3
Once the paste has cooled down, add the eggs one by one whilst continuously whisking. Pass the paste through a drum sieve and scoop into piping bags
4
Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8
5
Using a stencil, trace a 10cm diameter circle onto a tray lined with baking parchment. Pipe 2 rings of choux pastry into the circle and bake for 6 minutes. Turn the oven down to 150°C/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 6 minutes then remove from the oven. Leave to cool on a rack
6
For the praline cream, split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the milk with the praline paste. Heat the milk to scalding point
  • 90g of praline paste
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 500g of milk
  • 50g of flour
  • 150g of egg yolk
  • 120g of sugar
  • 30g of cornflour
7
Whisk the egg yolk with the sugar, flour and cornflour and incorporate the hot praline milk. Return the mixture to the heat and cook whilst continuously whisking until the mixture has thickened and the flour has been cooked out
8
Pass through a sieve and cover the surface with a sheet of cling film so that it does not form a skin. Allow to cool
9
Once cool, place the praline cream in a stand mixer and whisk until the mixture is smooth and unctuous. Gently fold in the whipped cream using a spatula and place the mixture in a piping bag
  • 50g of cream, lightly whipped
10
To make a croquant, make a dry caramel from the sugar in large pan with a wide bottom and incorporate the toasted almonds
11
Mix well, spread thinly onto a silpat mat and leave to cool. Using a rolling pin, smash the brittle into small pieces and set aside
12
Place a little praline paste into a small piping bag
13
To finish, cut the choux pastry in half horizontally. Pipe a little praline paste on the top half of the pastry and sprinkle over the croquant. Dust liberally with icinig sugar and season with a pinch of flaky sea salt
14
Pipe the praline cream onto the bottom half of choux pastry and place the top half on top of the cream like a sandwich. Serve immediately
First published in 2016
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Merlin Labron-Johnson

After six years working in Michelin-starred restaurants in Switzerland, France and Belgium, Merlin Labron-Johnson returned to the UK to open Portland. Nine months later, he was awarded a Michelin star at just twenty-four years old. Now he can be found in Bruton, Somerset, with his restaurant Osip, which was awarded a Michelin green star in 2023.

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