Valay-Brest


Valay-Brest
A Valay-Brest is a mini eclair, filled with apple-flavoured confectioner's custard and topped with a rectangle of walnut nougatine.
87 K 4.2/5 (20 reviews)
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Last modified on: May 14th 2014
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For 24 pieces, you will need:

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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 60 min.
Cooking: 30 min.
All in all: 1 hour 30 min.
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 20 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 1
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.
Valay-Brest : Stage 2
Bake the mini eclairs.

Stage 3 - ⌛ 5 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 3
When cold, cut in half lengthways.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 5 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 4
Fill each "bottom" with apple-flavoured confectioner's custard.

Stage 5 - ⌛ 5 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 5
Replace the "lid".

Fill all the eclairs like this and put to wait in the fridge.

Stage 6 - ⌛ 5 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 6
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.
Valay-Brest : Stage 7
When cooled, use a blender to grind the toasted walnuts to a powder.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 10 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 8
Use 150 g caster sugar and 3 tablespoons water to make a light caramel.

Stage 9 - ⌛ 1 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 9
Tip the ground walnuts into the caramel...

Stage 10 - ⌛ 1 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 10
...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.
Valay-Brest : Stage 11
Pour the nougatine out onto a sheet of cooking parchment.

Stage 12 - ⌛ 3 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 12
Lay a second sheet on top and roll the nougatine out as thinly as possible with a rolling pin.

Stage 13 - ⌛ 2 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 13
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.
Valay-Brest : Stage 14
When cooled, cut the strips apart.

Stage 15 - ⌛ 5 min.
Valay-Brest : Stage 15
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 recipe110 RDI=40 %650 RDI=60 %360 RDI=50 %2,730 RDI=140 %11,430 RDI: 140 %
Per 100 g20 RDI=6 %90 RDI=9 %50 RDI=8 %390 RDI=20 %1,630 RDI: 20 %
Per piece4 RDI=2 %30 RDI=3 %10 RDI=2 %110 RDI=6 %480 RDI: 6 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
Possible allergens in this recipe: milk, Gluten, egg, Nuts
How much will it cost?
  • For 24 pieces : 3.15 €
  • Per piece : 0.15 €

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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)
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)

You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Pets de nonne, Gougères, Saint Honoré cake, Paris-Brest, Puits d'amour, ... See them all 8

Apple confectioner's custard
Apple confectioner's custard

You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example:

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