Recipe: Paris Brest and Creme Saint-Honore

PARIS BREST

Creme Saint-Honore (recipe follows)
2 cups water
1 cup butter
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 cups flour
7 large eggs
1 tbsp sugar, powdered, to dust
almonds, slivered

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Boil water in a pan with butter and salt.

Add flour all at once and beat vigorously until dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball.

Off the heat, beat in eggs, one or two at a time, until incorporated and smooth.

Put mixture into a pastry bag and pipe in a circle on a buttered and lightly floured baking sheet. Make another circle just inside the first, and a third on top of the first two. Paint with melted butter and top with almonds.

Place it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and cool on a cake rack.

When cool, split horizontally and fill bottom ring with pastry cream. Replace top ring and dust with powdered sugar.

Note: The preceding recipe is a basic pate a choux, or cream puff pastry, and it may be used in other recipes.

Servings: 4
Source: Great Chefs of New Orleans, Tele-record Productions
Chef Daniel Bonnot, Louis XVI Restaurant,
Marie Antoinette Hotel, New Orleans

CREME SAINT-HONORE
Pronounced: krehm / sa(n) toh noh reh
Cream filling that may be used for Paris-Brest, La Religieuse, Croquembouche and Savarins.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
8 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 Tablespoons cr me fraiche or whipping cream
3 egg whites*
dash of salt
1/2 cup sugar

Soak the gelatin in the 1/4 cup of cold water.

Put the sugar, flour, and salt into a saucepan and stir together with a whisk.

Add the yolks and enough milk to make a paste. Whisk in the remainder of the milk. Place over low heat and stirring constantly, cook until thick.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

Stir in the creme fraiche or whipping cream. Set the mixing bowl in cold water and stir until the cream is cool.

Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and using clean beaters, whip them with the dash of salt. As soon as the whites begin to stiffen, gradually add the 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until they are very stiff.

Fold the egg whites into the cooled cream.

Editor's Note:
Cooking Eggs, Egg Whites, or Egg Yolks for Use in Recipes Calling for Raw Eggs