French
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Recipes
from Paris

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French
recipes


Christmas
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Paris-Brest

 

Bûche de Noël

  • 125 GRAM FLOUR
  • 60 GRAM BUTTER
  • 4 EGGS
  • 75 GRAM SUGAR
  • 1/4 CUP CREAM, whipped
  • 1 1/2 CUP MILK
  • 50 GRAM SHAVED ALMONDS
  • 1 TBSP VANILLA SUGAR
 

 

Add 30 gram of the butter to 1/2 cup milk and bring this to the boil. Simmer slowly until the butter has dissolved. Add 100 gram flour at once, while the pan is on low heat, and stir well, until the dough forms a ball. Turn off the heat. Allow the dough to cool down for 10 minutes, then add 2 eggs, one by one. Mix well until smooth. Make a circle on a greased baking tin with a diameter of approximately 20 centimeter. Sprinkle it with shaved almonds and bake for half an hour at 175 degrees Celsius. Allow it to cool down and cut it open. Melt the remaining butter with the rest of the flour whilst stirring. Add the remaining milk, the sugar and the vanilla sugar and bring to the boil, stir well. Simmer for 2 minutes. Turn the heat very low, add two egg yolks, stir well, heat for 30 seconds. Allow this mixture to cool down and then mix it with the whipped cream. Pipe this mixture on the bottom half of the pastry and close it with the top half.

Paris-Brest was invented in 1891 by a baker who lived alongside the route of the bicycle tour "Paris-Brest" and the pastry is supposed to reflect a bicycle wheel.

Put the lady fingers together with the rum and 100 gram very soft butter and make sure all is mixed well. Spread the mixture over a sheet of baking paper and roll it up. Refrigerate for 2 hours. In the meantime, whisk the remaining butter with the sugar, the egg yolks and the coffee. Carefully roll out the lady finger sheet and spread a layer of the coffee cream on it; roll it up again and cover the outside as well, make patterns with a fork. Refrigerate for another 2 hours. Decorate with Christmas items.