These beautiful little wreaths are perfect for afternoon tea - break them apart and dip them into the burnt-honey cream, then sprinkle them with sesame praline. Raspberries add a fruity fresh element, but they're by no means essential.
For choux pastry, see our basic choux recipe.
Choux wreaths with burnt-honey cream, raspberries and sesame praline
For a showstopping centerpiece, this choux wreath French pastry combines the sweet flavours of burnt-honey cream and raspberries with crispy sesame praline. It's one impressive - and delicious - dessert.
- Serves 10
- 25 mins preparation
- 30 mins cooking plus cooling
Ingredients
- ½ quantity basic choux pastry
- 1 egg, lightly beaten, for eggwash
- Pearl sugar or coarsely crushed sugar cubes, for scattering
- Raspberries, to serve
Sesame praline
- 100 gm honey
- 50 gm roasted sesame seeds
Burnt-honey cream
- 200 gm honey
- 300 ml pouring cream
- Scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean
Method
Main
- 1For sesame praline, boil honey in a saucepan without stirring, swirling pan occasionally, until dark golden brown. Remove from heat, quickly stir in sesame seeds and a pinch of salt, pour onto a lightly oiled baking tray and stand at room temperature until set (30-40 minutes). Break into large pieces, crush and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- 2Make choux pastry and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 7mm nozzle, and refrigerate to cool and stiffen (30 minutes).
- 3Preheat oven to 200C. Line baking trays with baking paper and trace 8cm-diameter circles on the paper with a pencil, using a cutter as a template and leaving about 8cm between each for pastry to puff and spread. Turn the paper over so the pencil side is down. Using the circles as a template, pipe 1cm-diameter balls evenly spaced around each circle, just touching one another. Brush with eggwash, scatter with pearl sugar and bake until golden brown (15-20 minutes), then cool on a wire rack.
- 4For burnt-honey cream, boil honey in a saucepan without stirring, swirling pan occasionally, until dark caramel (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, add 100ml cream (be careful, hot caramel will spit) and stir to combine, then refrigerate to cool completely. Add vanilla seeds and remaining cream and whisk until soft peaks form. Serve with choux wreaths, raspberries and sesame praline.
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