Paris-Brest with Praline Mousseline

Tool

Ingredients

For the praline paste:

200g hazelnuts, whole and skin on
40g almonds, whole and skin on
60ml water
250g caster sugar

For the crème patissiere:

4 egg yolks, room temp
30g sugar
20g cornflour
250ml whole milk
250ml whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
90g unsalted butter, cubed and cold

For the praline mousseline

60g praline paste
90g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temp

For the choux pastry:

150ml water
30ml milk
50ml unsalted butter
salt, to taste
120g bread flour
3 eggs
slivered almonds, as needed

To Finish

Icing sugar, as needed

Method

1 - Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2 - To make homemade praline paste, add the hazelnuts and almonds to a baking tray and place in a preheated oven at 170ºC for 12-15 minutes until toasted and golden.
3 - Remove from the oven, then wrap the toasted nuts in a tea towel. Rub to remove the skin from the nuts and set aside.
4 - Fit the heat shield to the Cooking Chef machine head and fit the stir tool. Attach the Cooking Chef XL bowl to the machine.
5 - Add the water and sugar into the bowl and fit the splash guard. Cook at 160ºC on speed Stir 1 for 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
6 - Remove the splash guard and cook at 180ºC, speed off, for 15 minutes until the sugar thickens and colours.
7 - Add the toasted hazelnuts and almonds into the bowl, then quickly stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until combined.
8 - Empty the coated hazelnuts and almonds to a silicone mat before the mixture solidifies, then fold the mat over and press down to create a flat layer of praline. Set aside to cool and harden.
9 - Remove the stir tool and assemble the Food Processor attachment to the high-speed outlet with the knife blade fitted.
10 - Break the praline into pieces and add the praline pieces into the Food Processor bowl.
11 - Secure the lid in place and pulse until fine crumbs formed.
12 - Mix on speed max for 1 minute until a paste forms, then scrape the paste into a small bowl and set aside.
13 - For the praline mousseline, first make the crème pat.
14 - Fit the creaming beater and add the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour into the Cooking Chef bowl. Mix on speed 1 for 30 seconds until combined.
15 - While the machine is running, gradually add the milk, cream and vanilla extract into the bowl. Fit the splash guard and cook at 85ºC on speed Min for 7 minutes until thickened.
16 - Keep the machine running and add the butter into the bowl and mix on speed 1 for 1 minute until smooth.
17 - Place a sieve over a large mixing bowl, then strain the mixture from the Cooking Chef bowl into the mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
18 - Whilst the crème pat is cooling, make the choux pastry.
19 - Set up the Cooking Chef with the clean bowl and creaming beater.
20 - Add the water, milk, butter, and salt into the Cooking Chef bowl, then cook at 104ºC on speed Stir 1 for 1 minute until the butter has melted.
21 - Add the flour and cook at 104ºC on speed stir 3 for 2 minutes until the mixture thickens. Then mix on speed 1 for 2 minutes until thoroughly combined. While the machine is running, gradually add the eggs and mix on speed 3 for 2 minutes until glossy, then transfer the mixture into a piping bag.
22 - Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
23 - Add a large circle nozzle or cut the end of the piping bag off with scissors so there is hole of roughly 4 cm.
24 - Draw a 25cm circle onto the parchment paper, then turn the paper over on the baking tray. This will act as a guide for piping. Holding the filled pastry bag at a 90º angle, apply steady downward pressure and slowly pipe the first ring of choux along the traced circle.
25 - Pipe a second ring of choux inside the first ring, making sure that the two rings are touching one another.
26 - Pipe a third, final ring of choux on top of, and nesting in the groove between, the two piped rings.
27 - To smooth out the surface of the dough, dip a finger into cold water and gently pat down any bumps. Scatter the top with the almonds and press down to ensure they are stuck in place.
28 - Bake at 180ºC for 15-17 minutes, then reduce the heat to 170°C to prevent the almonds from burning.
29 - Reduce the oven to 170ºC and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until well risen and golden.
30 - Remove from the oven and turn the heat off, then gently use a skewer to make a hole in the base. Place back in the oven and allow the choux pastry to sit in the oven switched off with the door ajar to dry out.
31 - To finish the praline mousseline, fit the Cooking Chef bowl and Whisk tool.
32 - Add the chilled crème pat and the praline paste, then mix on speed 6 for 20 seconds until combined.
33 - While the machine is running, gradually add the butter into the bowl. Mix on speed 5 for 5 minutes until the cream soft and airy, then mix on speed Max for 2 minutes until well combined.
34 - Transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a medium open star nozzle. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
35 - To assemble the Paris-Brest, carefully sliced the cooled ring of choux pastry in half horizontally with a serrated knife.
Tip: The tip of the knife should be in the centre of the choux ring hole (do not try to slice the ring like a cake).
36 - Pipe a large rosette of crème mousseline on to cover the choux pastry base, then place the top half on top.
37 - To finish, dust with icing sugar.

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