Rose and Raspberry Paris-Brest
Choux pastry
- Water 53g/1.87 fl ozs
- Milk 66g/2.33 fl ozs
- Sugar 3g/0.10 oz
- Salt 3g/0.10 oz
- Butter 50g/1.7 ozs
- Flour 65g/2.29 ozs
- 2 Eggs plus 1 egg beaten extra for glaze
Rose custard filling
- 3 teaspoons instant gelatine powder or 2 titanium strength gelatine leaves
- 1/3 cup water
- 4 eggs
- 150g/5ozs caster sugar
- 400ml/14.13 fl ozs cream
- 80g/2.8 ozs. plain all purpose flour
- rose flavouring
Fruit
- 3 teaspoons icing or powdered sugar to sift
- 6 fresh lychees, peeled and seeded
- 125g fresh raspberries
- Rose petals to decorate
Step 1 - Make choux heart. Preheat the oven to 210C/410C. Line a baking sheet with parchment and trace a heart to use as a guide. Combine the butter with water, sugar, milk & salt in a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and using a wooden spoon quickly beat in the flour. Return to the heat and continue beating until the mixture comes together and leaves the side of the pan. Cook, beating over low heat for 1-2 minutes to cook flour. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
Step 2 - Transfer to the bowl of a mixer. Beat the mixture to release any more heat. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well between each addition until both the eggs have been added and the mixture is thick and glossy. Beat for a few more minutes, or until thickened.
Step 3 - Spoon the choux mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle. Pipe mixture onto tray using the heart as a guide. Pipe one heart on the line, then pipe another next to it inside the original heart. Then pipe another log of choux pastry on top of the two hearts in the centre as shown. Brush with the beaten egg glaze and decorate with flaked almonds and pearl sugar.
Step 4 - Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to 180C/350F and bake for a further 20-25 minutes. Once it is baked, prick small holes in the pastry with a skewer to release the steam and return to the oven to completely dry out for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
Step 5 - Make the custard. First if using gelatine powder sprinkle it over the water and then heat in the microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds or over a double boiler until the liquid is no longer cloudy. If using gelatine leaves, soak in cold water for 5 minutes and then squeeze all of water out of them.
Step 6 - Then heat up the cream in a small saucepan and heat until almost boiling but do not boil. Meanwhile beat eggs in a bowl with sugar until pale and fluffy and then whisk in flour (you can do this in an electric mixer too). When cream is almost boiling, whisk in thick eggy mixture and a little rose flavouring and stir constantly until thickened. Cover the surface of the custard closely with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming and cool. I find that it speeds it up if you put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes or so once the initial heat has gone.
Step 7 - Assemble the Paris Brest. Cut the pastry in half horizontally and dust the top half generously with the icing or powdered sugar. Fill a piping bag with a basket tip (#48) with the cooled custard. You should be able to pipe custard and have the pattern hold in the custard (if it doesn't return it to the fridge to firm up in the piping bag laying it down horizontally so the custard doesn't ooze out).
Step 8 - Fill the base with the custard and then place the raspberries along the outside of the heart and the lychees in the back. Pipe patterns over every second raspberry and pipe the rest of the rose custard generously in the base filling any spaces with the custard. Place the top of the heart on the filled custard bottom half and serve. Decorate with rose petals.