Paris-Brest

Chef Philippe’s selected Paris-Brest forms a choux-pastry ring filled with praline buttercream. Sliced almonds and powdered sugar finish the surface of this French pastry.

This version selects the chef’s preferred water-and-milk choux dough. Butter, salt and flour form a cooked panade before beaten eggs are incorporated; extra cold milk can loosen an overly firm dough.

Three piped ropes form the ring, with one sitting across the first two. Egg-yolk glaze and sliced almonds cover the surface before powdered sugar and oven baking.

A separate sugar syrup is beaten into egg yolks and cooled before softened butter enters. Prepared praline paste finishes the smooth buttercream, which is piped into the cooled ring’s lower half.

The upper half closes the pastry before the assembled Paris-Brest firms in the cool. Another dusting of powdered sugar finishes it at service, separate from the sugar applied before baking.