The Paris Brest

Pour the milk and water into a saucepan. Add the butter cut into small pieces, salt and bring to a boil. When it boils, remove the pan from the heat and pour in the flour all at once. Mix gently with a spatula to obtain a homogeneous mixture, put the pan back on the heat and mix vigorously until the dough comes away from the sides. Pour the dough into a bowl, add the eggs one by one, mixing with each addition. The dough is ready when it falls gently from the spatula in a point.

Fill a pastry bag with choux pastry using a plain tip. Preheat oven to 170°C. On a baking sheet lined with baking paper or a silicone sheet, form a circle of dough 18 to 20 cm in diameter. Form a second circle inside the first one and then a last one on the first circle. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. At the end of the baking time, cool the choux pastry on a rack.

Pour the milk, vanilla bean seeds and ¾ of the sugar into a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and cornstarch. When the milk boils, pour it gradually over the egg yolk mixture while whisking. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook for a few minutes to thicken the cream, without stopping to stir. Add the pecan praline and whisk. Line the bottom of a deep dish, pour in the cream, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or in the freezer if you are in a hurry.

Pour the cold custard into a food processor fitted with a whisk attachment and whip until smooth. Add the softened butter and whip briskly to obtain a very smooth Paris-brest cream. Put the cream in a pastry bag fitted with a fluted tip.

Using a serrated knife, cut the crown two-thirds of the way up and remove the cap. Generously fill the base with the Paris-Brest cream, add almonds to the Paris-Brest cream. Replace the cap, pressing lightly and sprinkle with powdered sugar using a sieve.