Paris Brest (with cream mousseline)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) top/bottom heat. Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the nuts on a clean kitchen towel and

wrap them in it – allow them to steam off briefly, then rub the shells of the hazelnuts with the towel. If everything doesn’t come out completely clean, that’s no problem. Put to one side. Have the tray ready with a clean piece of baking paper.

2. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until the water has completely evaporated and the sugar begins to melt – allow the sugar to caramelize gently until it has turned an amber color. Remove the pan from the heat, add the roasted hazelnuts and stir in. Immediately place on the prepared tray and spread out a

little – allow to cool completely. Break the resulting hazelnut brittle into smaller pieces and mix in a powerful blender/food processor until a fine paste is formed. Pour into a clean container and place in the refrigerator until further use (max. 2 weeks).

3. For the crème mousseline, mix the milk with the hazelnut paste in a small saucepan and heat until the paste has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl until the mixture is foamy and thick. Add to the cooled milk in the saucepan and stir. Put back on

the stove and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until a thick, pudding-like mixture forms. Remove from the heat and immediately cover with a piece of cling film to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool completely, then place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

4. Put the soft butter for the crème mousseline into the bowl of a food processor and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the cooled hazelnut pudding and stir in. Beat for a few minutes until a light and creamy mixture is formed. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

5. For the choux pastry, mix the milk, water, sugar and salt in a pan. Add the butter and then heat on the stove until the butter has completely melted. Bring to the boil once, then add the flour all at once and stir in with a wooden spoon – the flour binds the liquid and forms a fairly compact dough. Stir continuously and vigorously

and let the dough “burn off” in the pan using the heat – a light layer should form on the bottom of the pan. Put the mixture in a mixing bowl, stir briefly and allow to cool a little (2-3 minutes).

6. When the mixture is no longer hot, you can stir in the eggs one at a time. I use a hand mixer with a dough hook – but you can also use a wooden spoon, it just takes longer. Each egg should be completely stirred in before the next one is added. The dough should be somewhat compact at the end, but smooth and shiny. When you pull the dough hook or wooden spoon out of the dough, it should drip/fall down in a “V” shape. If

this is not the case after three eggs, whisk a fourth egg and gradually stir in a little bit until the consistency is right. Fill the dough into a piping bag with a large star nozzle and pipe dough circles with a diameter of

around 11 cm onto two baking trays lined with baking paper – it helps to draw circles on the underside of the baking paper beforehand so that all the circles are the same size. Let the dough circles rest for around 10-15 minutes – you can preheat the oven while this is happening.

7. Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) top/bottom heat. Have ice cubes ready. Carefully brush the dough circles with a little milk and sprinkle with sliced ​​almonds. Put the first baking tray in the oven and place/throw 1-2 ice cubes on the bottom of the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Do not open the oven in between! The

choux pastry is perfect when it has risen nicely, has a crispy surface and is golden brown in color. Take it out of the oven and pull the rings with the baking paper onto a cake rack and let cool. Repeat the process (including ice cubes) with the second tray.

8. Once the choux pastry rings have cooled completely, cut them open in the middle. Whip the crème mousseline again briefly if necessary, then fill it into a piping bag with a large star nozzle and fill the bottom halves of the dough rings with the cream. Put the lid on, sprinkle with a little icing sugar and serve.