The Paris Brest filled with mousseline cream is a delicate dessert, made with choux pastry and a velvety cream rich in butter. This dessert was invented in 1891 by pastry chef Louis Durand to commemorate the Paris-Brest-Paris cycling race; indeed, the round shape resembles that of a bicycle wheel.

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

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/8 cup water
3 1/2 tbsp butter
3 eggs (medium)
1 pinch fine salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs (medium)
1 packet vanillin (0.4 g)
3 tbsp cornstarch
5 1/2 tbsp butter (at room temperature)
10 candied cherries

Preparation

For the procedure, follow the recipe you find here.
With a plate approximately 9 1/2 inches in diameter, draw a circle with a pencil on parchment paper, then turn it over and place it on the baking sheet.
Place the choux pastry in a piping bag with a rather wide star nozzle and make a circle following the drawn circumference. Next to the first circle, on the inside, make a second circle.
Finally, make a third circle on top of the previous two. 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 cream puffs about ten minutes earlier, otherwise they will become too dry.
Put the sugar and eggs in a bowl and beat them with a whisk until they become frothy. Then add the cornstarch and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
Heat the milk together with the vanillin in a saucepan until almost boiling, then slowly pour it into the egg mixture. Mix quickly and transfer it back to the saucepan, cook for a few minutes until it thickens. Pour the cream into a container, let it cool slightly for about a quarter of an hour, add 2 tbsp of butter, stirring with the whisk. Now cover it with plastic wrap and let it cool completely.
Transfer the cream to the mixer bowl, gradually add the remaining softened butter and whip with the beaters. Place the container in the fridge for at least an hour.
Cut the choux pastry disk in half with a serrated knife, place the cream in a piping bag with a star nozzle and fill the Paris Brest.
Garnish with cream puffs, the cream puffs, and candied cherries.