Strawberry Paris Brest: the delicious dessert recipe you’ll love

Looking for an easy dessert that still looks impressive? Then look no further than the Strawberry Paris Brest. A Paris-Brest (pronounced pah-ree brest) is an easy, rich French recipe you can make at home. Like the classic Paris Brest, it consists of choux pastry that is split horizontally (it’s called even zeppolone) and filled with custard and whipped cream mixture. But unlike the classic recipe, it has the addition of juicy, fresh strawberries.

It’s then dusted with powdered sugar, sliced, and served. In case you were wondering, the name Paris-Brest comes from the name of a bicycle route that runs from Paris (the French Capital) to Brest (a town in Brittany). Because the pastry cream is piped in a ring shape, it’s said to mimic the spokes of a bicycle wheel, hence the name. This dessert is a perfect balance of crispiness on the outside, with creaminess on the inside. This is always a show-stopper dessert.

Tips

The Strawberry Paris-Brest is best served immediately.

After adding the flour (add it all at once), you’ll need to stir the ingredients vigorously until it no longer sticks to the pot. This allows the gluten to develop and will ensure that the pastry puffs up nicely when cooked.

Allow the choux dough to cool a bit before adding the eggs. If the flour mixture is too hot, the eggs will end up cooking, resulting in a gummy pastry that tastes eggy

If you want more texture, add pistachios or flaked almonds on top.

How To Store Strawberry Paris Brest

Leftover Strawberry Paris Brest can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The choux pastry will become soggy because of the custard.

How To Make Strawberry Paris Brest

Add the water and butter to a pan over medium heat. And mix until the butter is melted.

Add the flour.

Mix with a spatula until all is well combined.

Transfer the mixture into the bowl and let it cool.

Add one egg at a time and mix with a spatula until the mixture is combined well.

Transfer the mixture into the whipping cream bag and spread it on the baking tray covered with parchment paper creating a circle.

Bake in the oven at 200°C/392°F for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Whip the cream in a large, clean bowl. Beat to form stiff peaks.

Mix the whipping cream into the custard cream.

Split the baked pastry horizontally in half.

Transfer the custard-cream mixture to a piping bag and pipe the cream on top of the pastry half. Add the strawberries in pieces on top.

Place the other half on top.

And pipe the whipped cream on top.

Dust with powdered sugar and strawberries.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes

If you’re making the custard ahead of time, wrap it and place it in the fridge. Make sure that the plastic wrap touches the custard to prevent a film from forming on the surface.