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Valay-Brest

Name: Valay-Brest
Prep time: 58 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 28 min
Yield: 24 pieces
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 300 g choux pastry (pâte à choux); 200 g apple confectioner's custard; 50 g walnut kernels; 150 g caster sugar; 3 tablespoons water

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

86 K 4.2/5 (20 reviews)

1 hour 30 min. difficulté

Average

3.15 €

24 pieces

5 Ingredients

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: 700 grams

Times for this recipe

Preparation: 60 min.

Cooking: 30 min.

All in all: 1 hour 30 min.

When should you start or finish this recipe?

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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.

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 %