Keagan’s Banana Paris Brest Recipe
Keagan Hughe’s Banana Paris Brest Recipe. Photo: Lee-Andre Fortuin.
“In support of local suppliers, recipe development is something else we do at our school. You give us a product, like these great Banana Products from Villa Doré, we brainstorm and voilia, you now have many new recipes to promote your product.”
Keagan Hughes’ Banana Paris Brest Recipe
YIELDS 20cm Paris Brest Ring
INGREDIENTS
CHOUX PASTRY
250ml Water
120g Salted Butter
125g Champagne Valley Cake Flour
4 Whole Eggs
1 Egg for Egg Wash
50g Flaked almonds
BANANA CRÈME PATISSERIE
500ml Full Cream Milk
10ml Banana Liquor
125g White Sugar
2 Whole Eggs
25g Villa Dore Green Banana Flour
BANANA, PECAN AND WALNUT PRALINE
150g White Sugar
1 Whole Banana
30g Pecan Nuts
30g Walnuts
FLAVOURED FRENCH BUTTER CREAM
3 Egg - Yolks
100g Castor Sugar
100ml Full Cream Milk
200g Butter
ITALIAN MERINGUE
150g Castor Sugar
50ml Water
2 Egg - Whites
PUTTING TOGETHER
50g Icing sugar for dusting
METHOD
For the Base
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and draw and 15cm circle. Turn over the parchment paper, making sure the circle line is still visible.
Pre heat the oven to 180C.
Place the water and butter in a small pot, let the butter melt as soon as the mixture has come to the simmer remove from the heat.
Add all of the flour at one time into the pot of the heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to bring it together.
Place the pot back onto the heat and cook the flour out for 2-3 minutes. You will see the mixture coming away from the sides of the pot, this is when it is ready.
Place the mixture into a mixing bowl and spread the mixture around the sides and leave to cool for 3-4 minutes.
Whisk one egg in at a time, whisking well between each egg until there is a consistency of a thick sticky pastry that holds its shape.
Place this mixture into a piping bag with a round nozzle and pipe two circles next to each other following the drawn line. Pipe another circle overlapping the first two.
Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle almond flakes over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes until browned and puffed. Turn off the heat and let it cool in the oven for 10 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar.
Remove from the oven and prick with a toothpick to let the steam escape. Place on a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
Bring the milk and banana liquor to the boil and allow to simmer and infuse. Whisk the eggs and sugar very well. Add the hot milk to the mixture and mix.
Add a little bit of the mixture to the banana flour to make a paste and add the paste and incorporate back into the mixture.
Place the mixture back onto the heat and bring to a simmer and stir until a thick consistency is reached. Strain the mixture and cool in the fridge and place cling film over to prevent a skin forming.
Pre heat oven to 180C. Slice the banana and set aside. Toast the pecan and walnuts until golden brown. Leave aside to cool down completely. Place a piece of parchment paper on the side ready.
In a medium frying pan add the sugar and place on a medium-low heat, leave the sugar without stirring until the caramel has formed, roughly 10-15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the banana and nuts to the mixture, turn this mixture out onto the parchment paper, folding one half so it covers the mixture and use your rolling pin to roll out the mixture.
Leave to cool completely, then with a food processor or blender blitz up the praline until it forms a paste. Set aside.
Beat together the sugar and egg yolks very well, then blend in the milk until the mixture is smooth. In a separate bowel, work the butter into a soft paste with a wooden spoon.
Place the egg yolk mixture over a bain maire and whisk the mixture until it becomes white and foamy. Remove from the bain marie and continue to whisk until completely cool.
Then gradually whisk this mixture into the creamed butter, finally mix in the praline paste.
Place the sugar and water into a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. When the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring. Using a thermometer get the sugar to 114C.
Place the egg whites into an electric mixing machine bowl, fitted with the whisk attachment. When the sugar reaches 110C start whisking the egg whites.
When the sugar is at 114C and the egg whites are at soft peak, slowly start adding the sugar syrup into the egg whites, pouring a little stream on the side of the bowl. Whisk until the outside of the bowl is cool.
Cut the choux ring in half horizontally and fill a piping bag banana crème patisserie and pipe a zigzag pattern on the inside of the choux ring. Repeat the same pattern with the buttercream, and finally the Italian meringue.
Using a blow touch toast the meringue until it is golden brown, do this carefully as it will burn quickly.
Place the other half of the choux ring on top and dust with icing sugar to finish.
Photos by: Lee-Andre Fortuin, Student at JC School of Food and Wine.