The Paris Brest filled with mousseline cream is a delicate pastry made with choux pastry and a velvety, butter-rich cream. This dessert was invented in 1891 by pastry chef Louis Durand to commemorate the Paris–Brest–Paris cycling race; its round shape resembles a bicycle wheel. It can actually be compared to a Zeppolone indeed!

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 1 Hour
Preparation time: 40 Minutes
Cooking time: 35 Minutes
Portions: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

100 g all-purpose flour (00 flour) (about 3.5 oz (≈0.8 cup))
100 ml water (about 3.4 fl oz (≈1/3 cup + 1 tbsp))
50 g butter (about 3.5 tbsp (≈1.8 oz))
3 eggs (medium)
1 pinch fine salt
250 ml milk (about 8.5 fl oz (≈1 cup))
70 g sugar (about 2.5 oz (≈1/3 cup))
2 eggs (medium)
1 packet vanillin (vanillina) (about 0.4 g)
25 g cornstarch (maizena) (about 3 tbsp)
80 g butter (at room temperature, about 6 tbsp (≈2.8 oz))
10 candied cherries

Preparation

For the procedure follow the recipe you can find here.
Using a plate about 9.5 inches (≈24 cm) in diameter, draw a circle with a pencil on the baking paper, then turn the paper over and place it on the baking sheet.
Put the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a fairly large star tip and pipe a ring following the drawn circumference. Beside the first ring, on the inner side, pipe a second ring.
Finally pipe a third ring on top of the two previous ones. With the remaining choux pastry make small cream puffs.
Bake at 356°F for about 30–35 minutes, placing the baking sheet on the third rack from the bottom. Remove the small cream puffs about ten minutes earlier, otherwise they will become too dry.
Put the sugar and eggs into a bowl and whisk them until foamy. Then add the cornstarch and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
Heat the milk together with the vanillin in a small saucepan almost to boiling, then pour it slowly in a thin stream into the egg mixture. Stir quickly and return it to the saucepan; cook for a few minutes until it thickens. Pour the pastry cream into a container and let it cool slightly for about 15 minutes, add 30 g of butter, mixing with a whisk. Now cover it with cling film and let it cool completely.
Transfer the cream to the mixer bowl, gradually add the remaining softened butter and beat with the whisk attachment. Put the bowl in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Slice the choux ring in half with a serrated knife, fill a piping bag fitted with a star tip with the cream and fill the Paris Brest.
Garnish with swirls of cream, the small cream puffs and the candied cherries.