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Valay-Brest

A Valay-Brest is a mini eclair, filled with apple-flavoured confectioner's custard and topped with a rectangle of walnut nougatine.

33,3414.2/5 for 20 ratings

Last modified on: May 14^th 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: 745 grams

Change for:

Measures:

How long does it take?

Time required

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
58 min.	30 min.	1 hour 28 min.

Keeping:

An hour or two, not much longer.

At what time?

When will I finish if I start the recipe at a certain time?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at a certain time?

Work this out...

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.

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.

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.

Use 150 g caster sugar and 3 tablespoons water to make a light caramel.

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.

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.

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.

Nutritional information

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).

How much will it cost?

For 24 pieces : 4.48 €
Per piece : 0.19 €

Note : These prices are only approximate

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Source

Home made.

More recipes?

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: Gougères, Profiteroles, Saint Honoré cake, Chouquettes, Mini Mont-Blanc choux puffs, ... All
	Apple confectioner's custard: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: ... All
	Caster sugar: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Little lemon biscuits, Blackcurrant-almond muffins, Macarons (the original French macaroons) , Apple confectioner's custard, Rum babas, ... All
	Walnut kernels: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Special Cheese and Walnut Sticks, Raw beetroot salad, Raw beetroot mousse with walnuts, Walnut short bread, Chocolate thins with toasted nuts, ... All

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