Pistachio Paris‑Brest
Pistachio Paris‑Brest is a hard French recipe that serves 6. 460 calories per serving. Recipe by Norbert Tarayre on YouTube.
Prep: 45 min | Cook: 52 min | Total: 112 min
Cost: $6.87 total, $1.14 per serving
Ingredients
- 50 g Brown sugar (or raw sugar, otherwise white sugar)
- 50 g All-purpose flour
- 40 g Unsalted butter (cold, cut into small dice)
- 125 g Water
- 60 g Unsalted butter (for choux pastry)
- 80 g All-purpose flour (for choux pastry)
- 125 g Whole eggs (about 2 large eggs, weighed)
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Sugar
- 250 ml Whole milk (preferably whole for richer flavor)
- 2 g Tonka bean (grated, very aromatic)
- 4 pcs Egg yolks (about 80 g)
- 27 g Cornstarch (Maïzena)
- 80 g Granulated sugar
- 150 g Unsalted butter (for the mousseline) (cold, in small cubes)
- 30 g Pistachio paste (100 % pistachio, oil‑free) (about 2 tablespoons)
- 30 g Honey (about 2 tablespoons)
- 5 ml Extra‑virgin olive oil (1 teaspoon)
- for sprinkling Powdered sugar
Instructions
Prepare the sable crust
Mix the brown sugar, flour and cold butter in a bowl. Rub between the fingertips until a sandy texture is achieved where the butter is well incorporated.
Time: PT5M
Form and chill the sable crust
Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 2 mm thickness, cut discs using a cookie cutter, place them on a sheet lined with parchment and put them in the freezer (or refrigerator) for 1 hour so the butter hardens.
Time: PT1H
Make the choux pastry (panade)
In a saucepan, bring 125 g water to a boil with a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar and 60 g butter. Off the heat, add 80 g flour all at once, stir vigorously until a homogeneous dough forms that pulls away from the sides.
Time: PT5M
Temperature: 100°C
Cool the panade slightly
Transfer the panade to a bowl, let it warm for 5 minutes while stirring with a spatula to avoid a skin forming.
Time: PT5M
Incorporate the eggs
Add the weighed eggs (125 g) in several batches, mixing gently with the spatula or wooden spoon. Do not whisk; avoid incorporating air.
Time: PT5M
Pipe the choux
Transfer the dough to a pastry bag, pipe small choux (about 4 cm in diameter) onto a parchment‑lined sheet.
Time: PT10M
Bake the choux
Preheat the oven to 210°C, bake the choux for 5 minutes, then immediately lower the temperature to 180°C and continue baking for 35‑45 minutes until they are golden and dry to the touch.
Time: PT40M
Temperature: 210°C
Cool the choux
Remove the choux from the oven, place them on a rack and let cool completely (about 30 minutes) before handling.
Time: PT30M
Prepare the pastry cream
Heat 250 ml whole milk with the grated tonka bean. Meanwhile, whisk 4 egg yolks with 80 g sugar and 27 g cornstarch. Pour the hot milk over the mixture while whisking, return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened (≈7 minutes).
Time: PT12M
Temperature: 90°C
Incorporate the butter (mousseline cream)
Let the pastry cream cool to about 40°C, then incorporate 150 g cold butter in small cubes, whisking gently until a smooth, glossy texture is achieved.
Time: PT5M
Flavor with pistachio
Mix 30 g pistachio paste, 30 g honey and 5 ml olive oil into the mousseline cream. Blend well.
Time: PT3M
Assemble the Paris‑Brest
Cut each choux in half horizontally. Place the cold crust on the lower half, generously fill with pistachio cream using a pastry bag, close with the upper half. Dust with powdered sugar.
Time: PT5M
Chill
Place the assembled Paris‑Brests in the refrigerator for 2‑3 hours so the cream firms up.
Time: PT2H
Temperature: 4°C
Nutrition Facts
- Calories
- 460
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 45 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Dietary info: vegetarian, contains nuts
Allergens: gluten, eggs, milk, pistachio, honey
Last updated: April 7, 2026






