Cocoa praliné paris-brest

A new one in the Paris-Brest, this one with cocoa nibs praliné ! I found this idea at Cédric Grolet a while ago now, and I loved it, so I took my inspiration for this super gourmet recipe. A bit of work, of course, but you'll surely love the result ;-)



Prep time : 2h + 40 minutes cooking
For about 8 servings :

Hazelnut & cocoa grits praliné :

150g hazelnuts
120g caster sugar
120g cocoa nibs
6g fleur de sel
Grape seed oil if necessary

Roast the hazelnuts and the cocoa nibs for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven at 150°C. Let them cool down.



Prepare a caramel with the sugar, then pour it over the hazelnuts and cocoa nibs and leave it to crystallize and cool completely.



Then, mix the hazelnuts, the cocoa nibs and the caramel until you obtain a praliné texture.




If necessary, you can add a little grape seed oil if the texture is too thick. Finally, add the fleur de sel.

Cocoa craquelin :

40g softened soft butter
50g brown sugar
10g unsweetened cocoa powder
40g flour
About 20g of whole hazelnuts

Mix the soft butter with the brown sugar, then add the flour and cocoa until a homogeneous dough is obtained.



Spread it between two sheets of parchment paper, then cut a circle 22cm in diameter, and in the centre of it a circle 12cm in diameter.



Lightly crush the hazelnuts, then place the hazelnut pieces on the craquelin.



Place in the freezer while you prepare the choux pastry.

Choux pastry :

65g water
85g whole milk
2g salt
2g caster sugar
60g butter
80g flour
125g whole eggs

Bring water, milk, sugar, salt and butter to a boil.



Remove from the heat, add the sifted flour all at once and stir well with a wooden spoon to obtain a smooth dough.



Put the dough back on the heat and dry it : stir constantly while the dough is on the heat until there is a thin film of dough at the bottom of the pan.



Remove the dough from the bowl of the mixer and mix it at low speed to allow the moisture to escape and cool the dough. Then gradually add the beaten eggs until the dough is soft and smooth. The dough should have a satin appearance.



Put the dough in a pastry bag with a plain tip 2cm in diameter, and pipe a circle 17cm in diameter on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Place the craquelin on the choux pastry circle, and bake in the oven preheated to 180°C for 40 minutes.



With the surplus, form a second crown of the same diameter but thinner (with a tip of maximum 1cm in diameter). Cook it for about 30 minutes.




When they come out of the oven, let the choux cool to room temperature.

Cocoa praliné crème pâtissière :

80g whole eggs
150g milk
150g full cream
25g sugar
28g cornstarch
150g cocoa grits praliné

Bring the milk and cream to the boil.
Whisk the eggs with the sugar and cornflour, then pour the hot milk over the mixture while whisking.




Pour back into the saucepan and thicken over low heat, stirring constantly.




When the cream is ready, remove it from the heat and then add the praliné.




Pour into a dish, then put a plastic wrap on it and place in the refrigerator (or freezer if you are in a hurry, but be careful not to let it freeze).

Crème anglaise :

25g milk
20g egg yolks
20g sugar

Mix the three ingredients and pour them into a small saucepan.



Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until you reach 83°C (if you don't have a thermometer, you can check the cooking by dipping a spatula in the cream and then making a line on the spatula with your finger. If the line remains clean, the cream is ready), then pour immediately into another bowl to stop cooking. Leave the cream to cool.

Italian meringue :

30g water
90g sugar
45g egg whites

Put the water and sugar in a saucepan to make a syrup.



When the syrup reaches 110°C, start whipping the egg whites. When it reaches 118°C, pour it over the whisked egg whites at high speed. Continue whisking until you have a cooled, firm and shiny meringue.

Buttercream :

Crème anglaise
125g softened butter

Put the butter in the mixer bowl with the whisk. When the butter is well softened, gradually pour the cooled crème anglaise over it and continue whisking until the mixture swells and whitens.

Praliné cream :

Buttercream
75g italian meringue
Coolen crème pâtissière

Add the 75g of Italian meringue to the butter cream, stirring gently.



Then lightly whip the crème pâtissière, then gradually add the previous mixture.




Place the cream in a piping bag fitted with a star tip 1.5cm in diameter. If necessary, put the bag in a fridge for a few minutes to make it easier to pipe the cream.

Assembly :

Icing Sugar
Cocoa praliné (about 80g)
Cocoa grits

Cut the choux pastry crown in half, then place some praline cream on the base.




Garnish the small one with pure praliné, then place it in the centre of the large one, pressing it lightly into the cream.




Pipe the cream on top and cover with the choux pastry lid. Decorate with a little cocoa grits  and icing sugar, then enjoy !