Strawberry Paris Brest Food

STRAWBERRY PARIS-BREST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a baking sheet and dust it with flour. Mark a circle nine inches in diameter in the flour.
• Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the butter, one-half teaspoon of the almond extract and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. When the butter has melted, lower the heat and add the flour and ground almonds all at once, stirring vigorously, until a smooth mass forms that leaves the sides of the pan. Continue beating over low heat a minute or so longer, until the mixture begins to film the bottom of the pan.
• Remove from heat and beat in the eggs one at a time, beating each until it has been thoroughly incorporated in the paste before adding the next. Beat until the mixture is smooth and glossy. If desired, the cooked water, butter, flour and almond mixture can be transferred to a food processor and the eggs added one at a time through the feed tube with the machine running, until a smooth, glossy mixture forms.
• Using a large spoon, drop high mounds of paste next to each other just inside the circle traced on the baking sheet, forming a ring 9 inches in diameter, about 2 inches wide and 2 inches high. Gently smooth the top with a knife dipped in water.
• Place in the oven and bake for one hour, until the ring is brown and there are no beads of moisture on the surface. Using a sharp knife, pierce the finished ring in several places along the side to allow steam to escape. Shut off the oven and return the ring to the oven for 20 minutes to dry. Transfer it to a rack and allow it to cool to room temperature. Place the rack on a sheet of foil.
• Mix one-half cup of the sugar with one-fourth cup of water in a skillet. Boil over medium-high heat, swirling the pan until the sugar dissolves, until the syrup becomes a rich honey color. Immediately dribble the caramel syrup over the top of the ring in an irregular pattern and allow the syrup to harden for 10 minutes.
• Carefully split the ring in half horizontally.
• Whip the cream until softly peaked. Add the remaining sugar and almond extract and whip until stiff. Spread half the whipped cream over the bottom half of the ring. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the cream. Top with the remaining whipped cream and cover with the top half of the ring. If desired, fill the center of the ring with more strawberries, and serve.

MINI PARIS-BREST WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE & CRYSTALLISED FRUIT

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and mark 8 circles about 8-9cm across using a glass or mug. Turn the paper over. Sift the flour onto a sheet of baking paper. Put the butter and 150ml water into a pan, then bring slowly to the boil until the butter has melted. When the water is bubbling, remove quickly from the heat, tip in the flour all at once and beat quickly with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough that leaves the side of the pan clean. Remove from the heat and cool for 3 mins.
• Lightly beat the eggs with a fork. Add the egg to the dough gradually, beating well with each addition until the dough is smooth and glossy. Put this dough into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle (about 2cm across) or use a large food bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe 8 thick rings onto the baking sheet using the marked circles as a guide.
• Bake the buns for 20-25 mins until crisp and golden, then split them carefully in half through the centre using a sharp knife in a sawing action; return to the oven for 5 mins. Transfer to a cooling rack, taking care to keep the tops and bottoms together, and leave to cool. Whip the cream to soft peaks and stir in the vanilla. Melt 100g of the chocolate for 1-2 mins in a microwave. Leave to cool slightly, then fold into the cream.
• Stir half the crystallised fruit and the almonds through the cream. Fill the choux rings with the mixture using two teaspoons. Melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle over the choux rings. Scatter with crystallised fruit and leave to set. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

PARIS BREST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to hot (400 F.) PREPARE CREAM PUFF DOUGH: Grease and flour 2 baking sheet.
• Using an 8-inch round cake pan as a guide, mark an 8-inch circle in the center of 1 of the prepared baking sheets.
• Combine the water, butter, orange zest and salt in a medium-size saucepan.
• Bring the mixture to boiling.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Immediately beat in the flour with a wooden spoon.
• Return the saucepan to low heat, and continue beating with the wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball and leaves the side of the saucepan.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Continue to beat the dough until it is shiny.
• Scrape the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/4 inch plain tip.
• Holding the bag at a 45 degree angle, pipe a dough ring on top of the circle outline on the baking sheet.
• Pipe another dough ring inside and right next to the first ring.
• Pipe a third ring on top of the first two dough rings to cover the seam where they touch.
• With the remaining dough, pipe small puffs on the second baking sheet.
• Bake the pastry ring and puffs in the preheated hot oven 400 F.
• for 40 minutes, or until the tops of the ring and puffs are browned and crisp.
• Cut a small slit in each puff, and several slits in the ring to release the steam.
• Remove the ring and puffs to wire racks to cool.
• Cut the ring and puffs in half horizontally, and set them aside.
• PREPARE THE ORANGE CREAM FILLING: Beat the heavy cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form.
• Gradually beat in the confectioners Icing sugar until firm peaks form.
• Gently stir in the orange-flavored liqueur.
• cover the bowl, and refrigerate the filling.
• PREPARE THE CARAMEL GLAZE: Combine the granulated sugar, water and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Bring the mixture to boiling.
• Cook, without stirring, until the glaze is light amber and a candy thermometer inserted in the glaze registers 350 F.
• Seat the saucepan in a larger pan of cold water until the candy thermometer registers 240 F.
• TO ASSEMBLE THE PARIS BREST, spoon some of the filling into the bottom half of each PUFF.
• Place the BOTTOM HALF of the pastry RING on a serving plate, and spoon the remaining filling into the bottom half of the ring.
• Using a fork, dip the outside TOP HALF of each puff into the glaze,* and place the glazed puff tops on a wire rack to set.
• Place the TOP HALF of the pastry RING on the filled bottom half.
• Place the glazed puff TOPS on the filled puff BOTTOMS.
• Set the filled puffs on top of the filled ring.
• Using a small spoon, drizzle the remaining glaze over the filled ring.
• Serve immediately.
• *NOTE:If the glaze in the saucepan hardens, reheat it briefly in a microwave oven, or in the saucepan over hot water.