Vanilla Gateau St. Honore with Hazelnut Ice Cream

Wonderfully sweet, this dish boasts home-made hazelnut ice cream and caramel paired with a light puff pastry brimming with vanilla cream. These classic flavors all blend seamlessly together making for a truly covetable dessert that the entire family can enjoy.

Preparation time:  Active 30 - 40 minutes; Inactive 2 hours
Baking  time: 20 - 30 minutes
Serves: 6-8

Attachments: Cooking Chef Bowl, K-Beater, Power Whisk, Dough Hook, Flexi Beater

Method

Pate a Choux

1. Place the water, sugar, salt and butter into the Cooking Chef bowl with the K-beater, turn up high until it comes to a rolling boil.
2. Turn to medium heat and add the flour slowly.
3. Mix until the flour coats the bottom of the bowl and the starchy flavor is no longer there.
4. Switch off the heat, turning to medium speed. Mix until you no longer see smoke, approximately 7-8 minutes on medium speed #4, and add your eggs one at a time.
5. Remove batter of the mixer and place into a piping bag with 828 plain piping tip.
6. Pipe desired shape and bake in a 400° oven until golden brown.

Vanilla Pastry Cream:

1. Attaching the Power Whisk, place the milk, half the sugar and the vanilla bean in the Cooking Chef bowl and adjust to the medium heat setting.
2. Combine the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl and whisk until light in color. Add in the flour and the salt, mix to combine.
3. When the milk just begins to boil, remove from heat and remove vanilla bean. Very slowly dribble the hot milk into the yolk mixture, stirring all the time. When about half of the milk has been added, place all of the yolk mixture into the Cooking Chef bowl over medium heat. 
4. Using either the Flexi-Beater or Power Whisk, mix the pastry cream as it heats, making sure to reach all of the corners of the bowl when you stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. The mixture will be thick.
5. Remove from heat and add the butter. Strain if you wish for a smoother cream. 
6. Place into a bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap to stop a skin from forming on the cream. Chill and use within a few days.

Hazelnut Ice Cream:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spread nuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely, remove skins, and coarsely grind.
2. Combine milk and ground hazelnuts on medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil and remove the bowl from the Cooking Chef. Cover and let steep 2 hours. Pass through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, pressing hard on solids. Reserve strained milk, and discard solids.
3. Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of the Cooking Chef with the Flexi-Beater. Cream at medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the bowl to the Cooking Chef and bring the milk to a simmer.
4. Attach the Power Whisk attachment and add half of the warm milk to egg-yolk mixture, and whisk until blended. With remaining milk turn on low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Have ready an ice-water bath. Remove saucepan from heat, and immediately stir in cream and Frangelico. Pass mixture through a sieve set over a medium bowl. Place bowl in ice-water bath, and chill.
6. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Caramel:

1. Prepare another ice-water bath, and line a baking pan with parchment; set both aside.
2. Combine the sugar, ¼ cup water, and corn syrup in the Cooking Chef bowl. Set to high heat and bring to a boil. Swirl the bowl occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking until the syrup is golden-amber, approximately 10 minutes. 
3. Remove the bowl from heat, and plunge the bottom of bowl in the ice bath to stop cooking.
4. Dip the top of each of the 18 filled cream puffs in the molten caramel. Place the balls, top-sides down, on the prepared baking sheet; the caramel will harden and flatten, and this surface will become the top of the cake.
5. After your Pate a Choux is baked and cooled slice in half the large rings and the small puffs pierce a small hole on the bottom of each. Set aside
6. Take the pastry cream and 1½ cups of whipping cream that has been whipped to stiff peaks, fold the cream into the pastry cream, and place the mixture into a piping bag with a medium #824 star tip.
7. Pipe the pastry cream mix into the large pate a choux ring and pipe a small amount into the small puffs through the holes you pierced at the bottom of each. Refrigerate until needed.
8. Dip uncoated sides of cream puffs, one by one, in the caramel. Arrange 3 per circle, leaving space in between; the caramel will hold the cream puffs to the pastry.
9. Whip ½ cup of whipped cream lightly sweetened in a pastry bag fitted with #824 star tip. Pipe large rosettes between the caramel-covered cream puffs. Cover the center of each circle with the remaining cream.