PARIS BREST

PARIS BREST: Name of a Paris speciality, a pastry made of choux paste, forced through a forcing bag in the form of a crown, sprinkled with grated or chopped almonds  After baking, the choux pastry is slit open and filled with Praline Buttercream. (New Larousse Gastronomique)

A beautiful  Paris Brest baked in my kitchen for a particular afternoon.  It is pretty enough to add to any festive table for Christmas.  Maybe changing the decoration to your Christmas theme.

We cut the cake to send to good neighbour friends as our Christmas Cheers, and it was acceptable, they were surprised with a big smile.

Christmas is time to give and to share.  I love that phrase.

Giving what I could do the best in me, I cannot help it, and that was a time I learned, people could be upset by it.

Talking about giving, this year, I shared my latest adventure of baking sourdough bread.  To my girlfriends with love ' Homebaked Sourdough Bread' for you.

A gift of the pantry you could do that, dried herbs which are prepared from your herb garden, flavoured oil, or preserved lemon.  These are very precious and easily well presented with pretty and earthy decoration.

This Christmas, homemade, home-baked is the theme of my gift to family and friends.  A special friend, I have the problem with, but I will try my best eventually my homebaked will delight him this Christmas.

My Girl Club Christmas Lunch at the Century Inn was excellent, the food was OK, followed by having hot herbal tea and cakes at our place, it was a lovely afternoon.  There was no Paris Brest, but chocolate cake and chocolate patissier puff instead.
Exchange gift took place, from homebaked, bought one to a gift from the pantry.  The honest gesture is always the winner, in this group, there was no loser.  We are blessed.

To bake the pastry for Paris Brest, what you need is to have a good recipe for the choux pastry.  Have a baking tray ready lined with baking paper, pipe the pastry on it, make a  large circle.  Bake in a hot oven for 16 minutes, reduce to medium heat and continue baking for 24 minutes until golden brown.  Switch the oven off, take the pastry out and poke a few places to make holes to release the steam, put it back in the oven, let it stay in there with the door slightly ajar until the oven is cold down.

A good choux pastry has to be smooth, soft and lights not too heavy.

Freshly Baked Choux Pastry

 Dressed Paris Brest

Fill the puff pastry with cream, or cream patisserie and garnish the top with icing sugar or pink praline add some chopped pistachio nuts and sugared rose petals

The table is set up the dinner is in progress, the family and friends are enjoying their dinner and company, the conversation was light but happy.  Now it is time for the dessert, freshly picked mixed barries, pavlova top with passionfruit, chocolate mousse, lots of variety dessert but the Paris Brest could be added to add up the festivity.  I think it fits perfectly on any festive table.

(Here is my imagination of having dinner party or family, and friends get together for an occasion).

For Christmas Table: The Paris Breast would be looking grand with mixed fresh berries topping, indulge this season and Enjoy!


An idea for you to bake a sweet for your Christmas celebration.

Happy Baking!


Until Next Post
Susy