Gâteau Paris-Brest

Chef Philippe’s selected Paris-Brest forms a ring of choux pastry around praline buttercream. Sliced almonds and icing sugar finish the ring, with this version choosing the chef’s water-and-milk dough.

Water, whole milk, butter and fine salt come to a boil before flour is stirred in off the heat. The paste is dried over the heat, cooled briefly and mixed with beaten eggs; a little cold milk can loosen it if needed.

Three piped cords build the pastry ring, which receives an egg-yolk wash, sliced almonds and icing sugar before baking. The pastry swells and turns golden, then cools before it is cut across its thickness.

For the filling, sugar cooks with a little water into a syrup that is beaten into egg yolks. After the mixture cools, softened butter and praline paste make a smooth cream, piped in generous rosettes over the lower half of the ring.

The almond-covered upper half closes the pastry, which chills to firm the filling before a final dusting of icing sugar at serving. The chef also lists optional dark-chocolate spirals and gold leaf for decoration.