This was all a little rushed, so the choux was not the prettiest, though I did enough notes and photos to do a "Choux Basics" post. I made 17 buns, though in retrospect I should have made 12 or 15 slightly larger ones, as that was all the filling I had. I personally think that they needed an additional filling to add some more creaminess (I'm thinking creme patisserie, or perhaps mix the hazelnut butter into a creme pat...), though taste feedback said they were good as they were.
Paris-Brest - Recipe
Choux Pastry
I made a batch of Choux Pastry, piping it into 7-8cm rings on silicone mats.
These were then carefully brushed with egg yolk, and a scattering of flaked almonds added on top before being baked in the oven. They were baked for 25 minutes, then left to cool in the oven to dry them out, before completing cooling on a wire rack.
Hazelnut Buttercream Ingredients
- 200g hazelnuts
- 140g butter (room temperature)
- 140g icing sugar
- 25g cocoa powder
- Milk
1) Place the hazelnuts in a food processor with the blade attachment2) Blend the hazelnuts until they form a smooth, butter-like mixture. This will tkae a while, and you'll need to scrape the sides down a few times
3) Transfer the hazelnut butter to a stand mizer with the paddle attachment4) Add in the butter, and sieve in the icing sugar and cocoa powder
5) Mix until a smooth, light texture is achieved. You may need to add a small amount of milk to get a good piping texture.6) Transfer the icing to a piping bag with a semi-closed star nozzle attached
Assembly
1) Slice the choux buns in half2) Pipe the icing onto half of the bun
3) Place the other half of the bun back on top
4) (optional) sprinkle with a little icing sugar