Category: Pastry

What does a bike race have to do with a pastry?

Yes, I’m getting to that, reader Jane. The Paris-Brest pastry was “merch” in the popular parlance. Which is to say it was created as a commemorative item by an unknown pastry maker somewhere along the PBP course. Exactly who that pâtissier was has never been definitively established, though it’s popularly thought that Paris-Brest was created for the 1910 race by one Louis Durand, a resident of Maisons-Laffitte which is just northwest of Paris. It’s said that he created it to look like a bicycle wheel. Seems plausible enough to me.

Thanks to the ever-resourceful Jim Chevallier.

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What’s with the hyphen?

“Paris-Brest.” An odd name for a pastry, observes reader Joseph, and indeed it is. In fact I’m not aware of any pastry with a name quite like it. For Paris and Brest are the names of two cities, one the largest in France, located in the north-central Île-de-France region. The other is a medium-sized port […]

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Paris-Brest Recipe

Paris-Brest is one of those pastries that’s made from things you probably already know how to make, just assembled in a different way. The proportions are rough because Paris-Brest is not an exact science. Or perhaps I should say that making it an exact science spoils the fun. Like most classic recipes, there are many […]

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This Week: Paris-Brest

Not very long ago, a regular reader asked if I wouldn’t mind demonstrating how to make praline paste. I put it off since I wasn’t sure what I’d make with it. Then Paris-Brest hit the top of the to-do list — perfecto! This is going to be a high-calorie week. Remind me to put some […]

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Little Jo’s Cake

A few of you were wondering how my birthday cake project turned out this past weekend. Little Jo Pastry, if you remember, is in a cowgirl phase at the moment. Her favorite character is Jesse from Toy Story 2. Well, I was trying to figure out what sort of cake to make for her party this weekend and finally (thanks to some excellent reader input) settled on a hat cake. Specifically, one modeled on Jesse the cowgirl’s flat-top hat.

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Light Posting This Week

Maybe nonexistent, actually. It’s little Jo’s birthday this week, friends are coming in from out of town for a basketball game and I’m going to be the best man at a wedding. And did I mention I’m also taking a two-day business trip tomorrow and Thursday? But I’m going to overdose on fun after that! […]

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Making Baba au Rhum

Bananas aren’t what you’d call a traditional accompaniment to baba au rhum, but it’s February and they were all I had around. I shouldn’t have been so surprised that they worked so well, they’re a natural pairing with rum. I made a separate batch of syrup without the alcohol for the girls, and judging by the action this past weekend, babas are going to become a staple around here. They’re all little Joan wanted to eat, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Begin yours by putting the dry ingredients in your mixer.

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