Paris-Dijon

Preparation

Step 1, the choux pastry and cracker:

Choux pastry:
250g semi-skimmed milk
100g butter
200g flour
Pinch of salt and sugar
250g whole egg or 5 eggs

Crackers:
50g brown sugar
50g butter
45 g flour
5 g blackcurrant powder

Turn your oven on to 180 degrees.
Bring the milk, butter, salt and sugar to the boil in a saucepan. When it comes to the boil, turn off the heat and add the flour..
Mix vigorously with a spatula, then add the eggs a little at a time until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.
Using a pastry bag, pipe pretty puffs of the size and shape of your choice onto a buttered baking tray. On each puff, add the cracker and spread very thinly.
Place in the oven for around 15 minutes, depending on the size of the choux. Chef's tip: never open the oven during baking! Otherwise the choux pastry will fall.
Keep aside.

Note: in the chef's original recipe, he makes a large S-shaped choux pastry and a second smaller one. In this second choux pastry, he inserts the blackcurrant gel using a doughnut tip. The second choux pastry is placed between a first layer of mousseline and a second. In this version of the recipe, we suggest a single choux pastry for simplicity. For pastry experts, have fun!

Step 2: The crunchy praline and mousseline

Crunchy praline:
500 g roasted hazelnuts
250 g sugar
25 g glucose
100 g water

For the hazelnuts, you can roast them in a hot pan without adding any fat. When they are golden, remove them from the pan.
Mix the sugar with the water and glucose and cook the caramel in a large saucepan. Add the roasted hazelnuts and leave to cool on a baking sheet for around 15 minutes. Blend to the ideal texture, still a little grainy for the crunchiness.
Keep aside.

Mousseline :

500 ml milk
65 g cornflour
1 vanilla pod
75 g sugar
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
250 g butter
250 g praline
2 sheets gelatine

Bring the milk, vanilla and half the sugar to the boil. Mix together the eggs, egg yolks, remaining sugar and cornflour, then add the hot vanilla milk. Cook the cream until it boils, then add the butter and gelatine. Leave in the fridge for around 4 hours. Once cold, you can whip the cream by hand or with an electric mixer.

Stage 3: Cassis

Briottet blackcurrant gel
500 ml blackcurrant purée
250 g crème de cassis
50 g sugar
10 g nh pectin

Bring the blackcurrant purée and crème de cassis to the boil. Pour the sugar and nh pectin mixture into the mixture and boil for 1 minute. Leave to cool in the fridge for 2 hours. Then blend until you obtain a jam-like texture and you're done with the mousseline!

Blackcurrant confit
50 g blackcurrant berries
Sugar syrup

This step is optional. Alternatively, you can add blackcurrant berries to the cake without preserving them..
Preserve your blackcurrant berries in a sugar syrup.

Stage 4: assembly

Cut the choux in half crosswise so that you can fill it. Spread homemade praline over the base, add candied blackcurrants and caramelised hazelnuts (prepare a caramel and place your hazelnuts in the pan). Using a pastry bag, add some of the hazelnut mousseline, in the centre add the blackcurrant gel, cover with hazelnut mousseline and close the choux. Decorate the top of your choux as you wish.

Tip: take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving.

Stage 5: Tasting.

Have you finished this recipe? Well done! Your efforts will be rewarded. Enjoy your meal!