Lemon and Blackberry Paris-Brest
Ingredients
- For the Choux
- 50g salted butter
- 1 lemon, zest of
- 100g strong, white bread fl
- 2 eggs
- 20g flaked almonds
- For the crème pâtissière
- 150ml milk
- 1 lemon, zest of
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 3 egg yolks
- 1tbsp cornflour
- 75ml milk
- 200g blackberries
- Icing Sugar to Decorate
Instructions
Indulge a bit of homemade patisserie with this classic Paris-Brest recipe with the gorgeous flavours of lemon and blackberry.
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan)/425°F/gas mark 7.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Draw 4 circles approximately 8cm in diameter on each sheet of baking paper as a guide when piping.
- Place the butter, 150ml of cold water and the lemon zest into a saucepan. Heat gently to melt the butter then bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.
- Add the flour and beat to combine. Return the pan to the heat and cook over a low heat for 2 minutes to dry the mix stirring continually. Tip the mix into a large bowl and set to one side to cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs slowly, beating well after each addition. Using a handheld electric mixer makes this stage easy, alternatively use a wooden spoon.
- Spoon the mix into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe 4 rings of choux onto the lined baking trays using the circles as a guide.
- Scatter over the flaked almonds and bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden brown.
- Remove and transfer the choux rings onto a cooling rack, prick each ring several times with a sharp knife to allow the steam to escape. Allow to cool completely.
To make the crème pâtissière…
- Place the 150ml of milk and lemon zest in a small heavy based saucepan. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat.
- Place the vanilla extract, egg yolks, sugar and cornflour into a bowl and whisk to make a smooth paste. Slowly add the 75ml milk whisking all of the time.
- Slowly pour the hot milk onto the egg yolk mix and whisk to combine. Pour the mix back into the pan and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes stirring all of the time.
- Transfer to a bowl and cover the surface with cling film to prevent a skin forming. Allow to cool before chilling in the fridge for 1 hour.
To assemble…
- Carefully cut each choux ring in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Place the chilled crème pâtissière into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. Pipe a ring of crème pâtissière onto the base of each choux ring. Arrange the blackberries on top of the crème pâtissière and top with the choux lid.
- To decorate, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve.