Are you a sweet tooth? How does rich praline mousseline cream and golden pastry decorated with flaked almonds sound? Delicious right? Well voilà, le Paris-Brest! The praline paste made by grinding ingredients in a food processor, the choux pastry cooked over low heat in a saucepan, and the mousseline cream mixed in a saucepan then left to chill, are made with hazelnuts, almonds, sugar, water, flour, milk, unsalted butter, eggs, corn-starch, vanilla extract and praline paste.
Created in 1910 by Louis Durant, this wheel-shape treat honours the famous cycling race from Paris to Brest and back. Thanks to its high calorie content, it was the ideal energy booster for cyclers however it was that nectareous that it gained popularity amongst Parisians very quickly before obtaining worldwide recognition. Chefs from around the globe have even added their own twist to this dish. For example, Michelle Palazzo from NYC fills the pastry with pistachio buttercream, and Theodore Rex, a bistro in Houston even spikes it with Swiss cheese.
This affirms the intellection that food is more than just nourishment as various chefs have made the dish their own to suit their personal and cultural environment. In addition, this also demonstrates that conventions can be breached as it has become cool and common practice for chefs to borrow and amalgamate ingredients and techniques both from the original and their own style (Rao).
Rao, H. (2009). “The French Revolution: Collective Action and the Nouvelle Cuisine Innovation.” Market Rebels: How Activists Make or Break Radical Innovations. Princeton University Press. pp. 69-94.
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