Chocolate Paris Brest Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place a small pan containing about 2-3 cups of hot water onto the bottom of your oven ( directly onto the bottom of the oven) to generate steam. Lightly grease a large baking sheet with shortening and then dust lightly with flour. Use a 10 inch pan as a template and draw a 10 inch circle onto the flour dusted sheet using a toothpick. Set aside.
• Place the 4 eggs into a small measuring cup and mix with a fork to combine, set aside.
• Combine the milk, water, salt and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a full boil, add the flour all at once and stir to make a paste. Continue to stir over the heat for about 40 seconds until the paste dries a little. Remove from heat and place paste into a mixing bowl. Let cool about 4 minutes.
• With a mixer on low, mix the paste and slowly add the beaten eggs. Mix slowly but thoroughly until all of the eggs have been added. Place the paste into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round decorating tip. Pipe the paste out onto the sheet pan following the 10 inch ring you outlined. Pipe a second ring around the inside next to this ring. Finally, pipe another ring on top of these two rings. Lightly paint the set of rings with the remaining 1 beaten egg and press the sliced almonds into the paste.
• Place in the oven on the lowest shelf and bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake about 12 minutes more or until brown. Remove form the oven and using a long serrated knife slice off the top half of the puffed ring. Remove any bits of raw dough on the inside of the ring. Replace the top and place back in the oven to crisp the dough, about 5 more minutes. Cool on a rack.
• To Make The Filling: Whip the pastry cream until smooth. Place the heavy cream into a bowl along with the vanilla and beat on high until soft peaks are formed. Add in the confectioners' sugar and beat a little more. Fold the pastry cream in with the whipped cream and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe the cream mixture into the ring and then replace the top. If you wish, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.

Steps:

• For Sauce:
• Stir sugar and water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep golden brown, occasionally washing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble up). Reduce heat to very low. Stir until caramel dissolves completely and mixture is smooth. Add butter, chocolate and espresso powder and stir until smooth. (Sauce can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For Filling:
• Whisk sugar and yolks in medium bowl until thick, about 1 minute. Add flour and beat until well blended. Combine half and half and espresso powder in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in vanilla seeds; add pod. Bring just to simmer over medium heat. Gradually whisk hot half and half mixture into egg mixture. Return egg mixture to same saucepan and cook until mixture is very thick and boils, whisking constantly. Pour mixture into medium bowl. Remove vanilla pod. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Press plastic wrap directly on surface of filling to prevent skin from forming; cool completely.
• Whisk filling until smooth. Beat chilled whipping cream in another medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into filling in 2 additions. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead.)
• For Pastry:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Stack 2 cookie sheets. Line top cookie sheet with parchment. Trace 8 1/2-inch-diameter circle on parchment, using cake pan as guide. Turn parchment over. Butter circle lightly and dust with flour.
• Combine milk, butter, sugar, espresso powder and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Bring just to boil over medium heat, stirring until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Add flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring vigorously with wooden spoon (mixture will form ball). Remove from heat. Make well in center of dough. Break 1 egg into well. Using wooden spoon, beat rapidly until egg is incorporated and dough is smooth, about 1 minute. Repeat with second egg. Beat third egg to blend in small bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon egg for glaze. Add remaining beaten egg to dough and beat until smooth.
• Fit pastry bag with 3/4-inch star tip (no. 7). Transfer warm dough to bag. Pipe 3/4-inch-wide ring over traced circle on parchment. Pipe second ring inside first, making certain batter adheres to inside of first ring. Pipe third ring atop center of first two rings. Brush lightly with reserved egg glaze. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
• Bake pastry 2 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. and bake until pastry is golden brown and firm to touch, about 40 minutes longer. Turn off heat. Leave pastry in oven 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Carefully remove pastry from parchment. Using serrated knife, cut pastry in half horizontally. Arrange cut sides up on rack (pastry will appear moist and slightly doughy inside). Cool completely.
• Fit clean pastry bag with 3/4-inch (no. 7) star tip. Transfer filling to bag. Place pastry bottom on platter. Pipe filling into pastry in large circular mounds. Set top of pastry over filling. Dust lightly with powered sugar. Gently heat sauce in heavy small saucepan. Mix in rum. Using serrated knife, cut pastry into wedges. Serve, passing sauce separately.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and mark 8 circles about 8-9cm across using a glass or mug. Turn the paper over. Sift the flour onto a sheet of baking paper. Put the butter and 150ml water into a pan, then bring slowly to the boil until the butter has melted. When the water is bubbling, remove quickly from the heat, tip in the flour all at once and beat quickly with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough that leaves the side of the pan clean. Remove from the heat and cool for 3 mins.
• Lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Add the egg to the dough gradually, beating well with each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy. Put this dough into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle (about 2cm across) or use a large food bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe 8 thick rings onto the baking sheet using the marked circles as a guide.
• Bake the buns for 20-25 mins until crisp and golden, then split them carefully in half through the centre using a sharp knife in a sawing action; return to the oven for 5 mins. Transfer to a cooling rack, taking care to keep the tops and bottoms together, and leave to cool. Whip the cream to soft peaks and stir in the vanilla. Melt 100g of the chocolate for 1-2 mins in a microwave. Leave to cool slightly, then fold into the cream.
• Stir half the crystallised fruit and the almonds through the cream. Fill the choux rings with the mixture using two teaspoons. Melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle over the choux rings. Scatter with crystallised fruit and leave to set. Dust with icing sugar before serving.