Coffee Tropézienne

Again a classic French pastry recipe today, the Tropézienne. I did make a small modification, I flavored the cream with coffee, and for a lighter result, I decided to make a diplomat cream (pastry cream + whipped cream) instead of a mousseline cream (pastry cream + butter) often used for Tropéziennes. I used Nicolas Paciello's brioche recipe, which I love and is even doable by hand if you don't have a mixer. You can of course use this recipe for the base of the Tropézienne by flavoring the brioche and the cream as you wish (orange blossom, vanilla...).

Preparation time: 50 minutes + resting, rising and baking time
For a Tropézienne of about 24cm in diameter:

Brioche:

245g flour

7g fresh baker's yeast

85g butter

30g sugar

1 egg

10cl milk

5g salt

For the glaze: 1 egg + 1 tablespoon of milk/cream

As desired, some pearl sugar

Slightly warm the milk and dissolve the fresh yeast in it.

In the bowl of the mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour, sugar, and salt then add the egg.

Knead while gradually adding the milk. You need to knead for about 10 minutes, until you have a homogeneous dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl. Then incorporate the butter and continue kneading at low speed until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl again and is smooth and elastic.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

After resting, deflate the dough and roll it out to a 22cm diameter circle.

Place it in a buttered 24cm ring, and let it rise for about 1h30.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Beat an egg with a little cream or milk, then apply this glaze with a brush on the brioche. Sprinkle with whole sugar grains if you wish, then bake at 175°C for 20 to 30 minutes (baking time should be monitored depending on your oven).

Diplomat Cream:

150g full-fat liquid cream (1)

Approximately 225g whole milk + 150g milk

100g crushed coffee beans

75g sugar

3 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

45g cornstarch

1 sheet (2g) gelatin (optional depending on the outside temperature, but if you use 30% fat cream instead of 35%, I recommend adding it for better stability)

300g full-fat liquid cream at 35% fat (2)

Start by preparing the pastry cream: heat the 150g of milk and add the crushed coffee beans.

Cover and let steep for as long as you want, depending on whether you want a stronger or milder coffee flavor. I recommend steeping for 30 minutes to 2 hours. If you don’t have the time, you can also use instant coffee.

Rehydrate the gelatin in a bowl of cold water.

Strain the coffee-infused milk, weigh it, and add milk to reach 225g.

Put the milk in a saucepan with the liquid cream (1) and bring the mixture to a boil.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Pour the hot milk/cream over the previous mixture while stirring well, then pour it back into the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat.

Off the heat, add the rehydrated and wrung-out gelatin. Then transfer the cream to another container (if you're in a hurry, to a large container such as a gratin dish, it will cool faster), cover it with plastic wrap in contact, and let it cool in the refrigerator.

When the cream is cold, whisk it lightly to loosen it.

Whip the liquid cream (2) into whipped cream, then take a big spoonful of whipped cream and vigorously incorporate it into the pastry cream.

Then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a spatula to achieve a smooth cream. Pour the diplomat cream into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip.

Finishing:

As desired, some icing sugar

When the brioche has cooled, cut it in half and pipe the diplomat cream in large dollops on the bottom part of the brioche.

Cover with the top of the brioche, and dust with a little icing sugar. Store your Tropézienne in the fridge until serving, but remember to take it out a few minutes before indulging. ;-)