The Paris-Brest is one of the great classics of French pastry: a light, fragrant and golden choux pastry ring, created in the early 20th century to celebrate the historic Paris-Brest cycling race. In this recipe I chose to reinterpret the original dessert by slightly varying the flavors and giving space to pistachio. The choux ring is filled with a soft, velvety pistachio cream, intense but balanced, obtained by combining a pastry cream base with whipped soft butter and pistachio paste. To achieve a perfect Paris-Brest it’s important to dry the choux mixture well in the pan so it can develop correctly in the oven, add the eggs little by little to reach the right dough consistency and let the pastry cream cool completely before whipping it with the butter and pistachio paste.
This dessert is particularly good when freshly made, while the choux retains all its crispness, but it can also be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. Let’s see together all the ingredients needed to make a delicious Paris-Brest with pistachio at home:
Other pistachio desserts:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup milk
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup flour (all-purpose)
- to taste chopped pistachios
- to taste powdered sugar (for decorating)
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons cups milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 10 1/2 tablespoons soft butter
- 6 1/4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoons pistachio paste
Preparation
Put the water, milk, salt, sugar and butter in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a full boil. Add all the flour at once and stir vigorously over low heat until you obtain a compact dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan forming a single mass.
Transfer the dough to the bowl of the stand mixer and work it with the paddle for about 2-3 minutes to let it cool slightly. Add half of the eggs and continue mixing at medium speed: at first the dough will seem to separate, but continuing to work it will become smooth and homogeneous again.
Gradually add the remaining eggs until you obtain a soft consistency. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a star tip about 2 cm in diameter and, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe the choux pastry in three concentric rings: two side-by-side at the base and a third on top, so as to form a regular crown. Sprinkle the surface with chopped pistachios.
Bake in a preheated oven at 392°F for about 20 minutes, then (without opening the oven) lower the temperature to 338°F and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and let the pastry dry for a few minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature, then cut the pastry horizontally in half.
Prepare the pastry cream by bringing the milk to a simmer in a small saucepan. Beat the yolks with the sugar, the cornstarch and the vanilla extract with a whisk. Pour the hot milk over the mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until you obtain a smooth and thick cream.
Transfer the cream to a container, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and let it cool completely in the fridge for about 2-3 hours.
Add the pistachio paste to the now cold cream and work the mixture with electric beaters. Then add one third of the soft butter and whip until it is completely incorporated.
Continue in the same way by adding the remaining butter little by little, waiting each time for the previous addition to be well absorbed. Once all the butter is incorporated, continue working the cream for about 2-3 minutes until you obtain a smooth, dense and well-whipped consistency.
Transfer the pistachio mousseline cream to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe generous mounds on the base of the choux pastry. Cover with the top half of the Paris-Brest and finish with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Bon appétit and… see you next recipe!
If you try this recipe, be sure to tag #ipasticcinidinina on Instagram so I can see it and share it with the community.
