Paris Brest

• Pastry Cream **
• 2 c Water
• 1 c Butter
• 1 pn Salt
• 1 1/2 c Flour
• 7 lg Eggs
• 1 tb Sugar, powdered, to dust
• Almonds, slivered

Instructions

1. 1

   ** See recipe for Pastry Cream.

2. 2

   Boil water in a pan with butter and salt.

3. 3

   Add flour all at once and beat vigorously until dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball.

4. 4

   Off the heat, beat in eggs, one or two at a time, until incorporated and smooth.

5. 5

   Put mixture into a pastry bag and pipe in a circle on a buttered and lightly floured baking sheet.

6. 6

   Make another circle just inside the first, and a third on top of the first two.

7. 7

   Preheat oven to 375 F.

8. 8

   Paint with melted butter and top with almonds.

9. 9

   Place it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

10. 10

    Remove and cool on a cake rack.

11. 11

    When cool, split horizontally and fill bottom ring with pastry cream.

12. 12

    Replace top ring and dust with powdered sugar.

13. 13

    Note: The preceding recipe is a basic pate a choux, or cream puff pastry, and it may be used in other recipes. : : Chef Daniel Bonnot, Louis XVI Restaurant, : Marie Antoinette Hotel, New Orleans