The Iconic French Pastry You Should Bake for a New Year’s Party read the headline on the NYTimes website.
I was intrigued, and when I got to the third paragraph, Like many other French pastries, Paris-Brest requires several steps and components, but the entire process can be broken down into manageable parts that can — and should — be done ahead of time. The finished pastry is a showpiece, so make it when you really want to show off (and feed a group), I was all in! This would be our New Year's day dessert, the perfect conclusion to our traditional meal of fried chicken, ham, black eyed peas, greens, corn, and rice.
I was undaunted by the fourteen rather involved steps (5 printed pages!) that outlined the three main components: pastry cream, homemade hazelnut and almond praline, and choux pastry. None of the techniques were new to me, and the idea of making French-style praline seemed exciting and fun. I also knew I had most of the ingredients on hand, and that I would have the time to start cooking the day before.
What threw me a little bit was the timing. The final product was meant to be assembled right before serving, and I wanted the pastry ring to be crisp and not soggy. I also wanted the mousseline to be airy and light, and so I wasn't sure when I should bake the shell and combine the pastry cream and praline. That uncertainty did cause me a bit of anxiety, because there could be no do-overs that close to dinner.
As I worked, I had my doubts about the pastry cream (not very sweet), and I totally brain farted on my first batch of praline, processing the roasted nuts and almond butter with the sugar before I caramelized it. Once I corrected my mistake, the resulting paste seemed a little bitter in that dark caramel way, and it was hard to tell if the components would magically combined into a perfectly balanced filling, but I put my faith in Claire Saffitz and persevered.
My pate choux did not puff as high as I wished, and it was dry and crisp long before the prescribed hour in the turned-off oven was up. The chopped nuts fell off the top when I sliced it off, but I saved them to sprinkle back on later. And the mousseline did come together into a dreamy filling, light and sweet, but not too sweet. I spooned it into my pastry bag before dinner and stuck it in the fridge, ready to fill the wheel of pastry right before serving.
The result was a little more rustic looking than the photograph in the Times, and of course I have no comparison for what it should have tasted like, but ours was delicious-- crisp and creamy and nutty and sweet and caramelly. It tasted like a French pastry.
"Would you ask for it again?" is always my question for Heidi when we discuss a new dish from our kitchen.
Tonight, Heidi turned the inquiry around. "Would you make it again?" she asked.
That? I'm not sure of. But I am glad I made it today.
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