GATEAU PARIS BREST

By gaster16

Ingredients

• Pastry Cream:
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1-1/4 cups sifted unbleached flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds
• 2 cups (1 pint) light cream
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar

Preparation

Step 1

Make a 9" diameter circle on a large cookie sheet with a thin line of oft butter using a plate as a guide.

Heat water, milk, salt and butter to a full rolling boil in saucepan. Liquid must be boiling rapidly.

Add flour all at once. Stir rapidly with wooden spoon until mixture forms a paste and comes away from the side of the pan, forming a ball in the center. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until paste becomes smooth and shiny. Paste must be thick enough to hold its shape.

Fit pastry bag with large plain tip. Fill bag with paste and press out within circle marked on cookie sheet to a 1-1/2 inch wide circle, 1 inch high using all of the paste. Or spoon heaping tablespoonful of the paste close together inside the outline. Press almonds into paste.

Bake in a 375 degrees for 60 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven, cool on wire rack. When cool, split in half and scoop out any bits of soft dough.

To serve, spoon pastry cream in bottom half of cooled shell. Replace top, refrigerate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Pastry Cream:

Cook cream, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of sugar in large saucepan over medium heat, jut until mixture comes to boiling. Remove from heat. Blend remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch and salt into beaten egg yolks.

Gradually blend 2 tablespoons of hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Return to saucepan, stirring until well blended. Return to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over top of pastry cream to prevent skin from forming.

Cool quickly by setting saucepan in a pan of cold water or in refrigerator. Cool completely.