This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
Valay-Brest
A Valay-Brest is a mini eclair, filled with apple-flavoured confectioner's custard and topped with a rectangle of walnut nougatine.
89 K 4.2/5 (20 reviews)
1 hour 30 min.
Average
3.15 €
24 pieces
5 IngredientsLast modified on: May 14th 2014
For 24 pieces, you will need:
- 1
300 g choux pastry (pâte à choux) - 2
200 g apple confectioner's custard - 3
50 g walnut kernels - 4
150 g caster sugar - 5
3 tablespoons water (optional) - Total weight: 700 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 60 min.
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 1 hour 30 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 20 min.
Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
Prepare 300 g choux pastry (pâte à choux) and pipe the eclairs about 5-6 cm (2 inches) long using a forcing bag with a ridged nozzle, if possible.
Prepare 300 g choux pastry (pâte à choux) and pipe the eclairs about 5-6 cm (2 inches) long using a forcing bag with a ridged nozzle, if possible.
Stage 2 - ⌛ 15 min.
Bake the mini eclairs.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 5 min.
When cold, cut in half lengthways.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 5 min.
Fill each "bottom" with apple-flavoured confectioner's custard.
Stage 5 - ⌛ 5 min.
Replace the "lid".
Fill all the eclairs like this and put to wait in the fridge.
Fill all the eclairs like this and put to wait in the fridge.
Stage 6 - ⌛ 5 min.
Prepare the walnut nougatine: preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Spread 50 g walnut kernels on a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes in the oven.
Stage 7 - ⌛ 5 min.
When cooled, use a blender to grind the toasted walnuts to a powder.
Stage 8 - ⌛ 10 min.
Stage 9 - ⌛ 1 min.
Tip the ground walnuts into the caramel...
Stage 10 - ⌛ 1 min.
...and mix thoroughly.
Now you need to work as quickly as possible, because the nougatine will set rapidly as it cools.
Now you need to work as quickly as possible, because the nougatine will set rapidly as it cools.
Stage 11 - ⌛ 1 min.
Pour the nougatine out onto a sheet of cooking parchment.
Stage 12 - ⌛ 3 min.
Lay a second sheet on top and roll the nougatine out as thinly as possible with a rolling pin.
Stage 13 - ⌛ 2 min.
Use a large knife to cut the nougatine, or at least score it, into strips about 1 cm (0.3 inch) wide.
Stage 14 - ⌛ 5 min.
When cooled, cut the strips apart.
Stage 15 - ⌛ 5 min.
Stick these onto the tops of the eclairs with a little confectioner's custard.
Refrigerate until needed, but do not serve too cold.
Refrigerate until needed, but do not serve too cold.
Remarks
It is not essential for the nougatine to be a rectangle exactly the size and shape of the eclair. On the contrary, the "deconstructed" look with pieces laid side by side can be attractive.
Some recipes insist that the caramel for the nougatine should be made "dry", i.e. without added water, but I don't think this is essential.
Some recipes insist that the caramel for the nougatine should be made "dry", i.e. without added water, but I don't think this is essential.
Keeping: An hour or two, not much longer.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 110 RDI=40 % | 650 RDI=60 % | 360 RDI=50 % | 2,730 RDI=140 % | 11,430 RDI: 140 % |
| Per 100 g | 20 RDI=6 % | 90 RDI=9 % | 50 RDI=8 % | 390 RDI=20 % | 1,630 RDI: 20 % |
| Per piece | 4 RDI=2 % | 30 RDI=3 % | 10 RDI=2 % | 110 RDI=6 % | 480 RDI: 6 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 24 pieces : 3.15 €
- Per piece : 0.15 €
Change currency:
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Puits d'amour, Mini Mont-Blanc choux puffs, Paris-Brest, Pets de nonne, Profiteroles, ... See them all 8
Apple confectioner's custard
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example:
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Cooking sugar, Plum and almond panna cotta, Passion fruit jellies, Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream), Panettone, ... See them all 377
Walnut kernels
Like these other recipes: Pears and caramelised walnut samosas , Maple syrup cream sugar, Raw beetroot salad, Special Cheese and Walnut Sticks, Walnut short bread, ... See them all 20
Other recipes you may also like
Chocolate tart
As you can see, there's very little added sugar in this recipe, so it's a very chocolatey and bitter-sweet tart. November 16th 2013309 K 15 2 hours 30 min.
Bouquet garni
Used very frequently in French cuisine, a secret of French chefs, it adds flavour to a lot of recipes, and it's easy to prepare. The basic principle is to make a small bundle of herbs, bind them in green leek leaves and to tie it up, so that the whole thing can be removed and discarded easily after cooking. March 21th 2017441 K3.5 15 min.
Herb salad
Herb salad is a small salad made with leaves of all kinds of aromatic herbs, it's highly flavoured, and should be considered almost as a condiment. It really is a salad, the leaves are not chopped. October 13th 2010244 K4.6 25 min.
Vanilla sugar
Almost essential in patisserie, you can find it in expensive little sachets of about 10g. It's necessary to distinguish between the vanilla sugar which really contains vanilla, and vanillin sugar, purely chemical which has never seen a vanilla pod. Here is how to quickly make a whole jar full of your own vanilla sugar. August 12th 2018446 K 15 30 min.
Clarified butter
This is a way of melting butter to eliminate all the impurities. The clarified butter can then be heated without spoiling, and is more digestible. It is ideal for cooking at high temperatures where small black specks would spoil the appearance, or for emulsified sauces like béarnaise or mousseline. June 21th 2017487 K4.2 2 hours 15 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-04-19)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.