Categories: pastry

Ingredients

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Wreath:
• 6 Tbsp. butter, cut up
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• Almond Praline:
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar plus addition for garnish

Directions

1. Prepare Pastry Cream: In medium bowl, with wire whisk, beat egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until blended. In 3 -quart saucepan, heat milk to simmering over medium-high heat. While constantly beating with wire whisk, gradually pour about half of simmering milk into yolk mixture. Return yolk mixture to saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble around edge of pan (mixture will not appear to boil vigorously); simmer 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in vanilla. Transfer mixture to bowl; cover surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, prepare Wreath: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease and flour large cookie sheet. Using 8-inch cake pan or plate as guide, trace circle in flour on cookie sheet with finger. With kitchen shears, cut 1-inch opening from 1 corner of large heavy-weight plastic bag.
3. In 2-quart saucepan, heat butter with 1 cup water over high heat until butter melts and mixture boils. Reduce heat to low; add flour all at once and stir vigorously with wooden spoon until mixture forms ball and leaves side of saucepan. Remove saucepan form heat. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with wooden spoon after each addition, until batter is smooth and satiny.
4. Spoon dough into plastic bag; squeeze down to corner with opening. Using traced circle as guide, pipe dough in 1-inch thick ring just inside circle on cookie sheet. Pipe another 1-inch-thick ring outside of first, making sure both are touching. With remaining dough, pipe a final ring on top and along center seam of first 2 rings. With moistened finger, gently smooth dough rings where ends meet.
5. Bake Wreath 20 minutes. Turn oven control to 375 degrees and bake 25 minutes longer or until golden. Remove Wreath from oven; poke sides in several places with toothpick and bake 10 minutes longer. Remove Wreath from cookie sheet and cool completely on wire rack.
6. While Wreath is cooling, prepare Almond Praline: Lightly grease cookie sheet. In 1-quart saucepan, heat granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water to boiling over high heat, swirling pan occasionally to help dissolve sugar. Boil mixture 5 to 7 minutes without stirring, until golden. Remove pan from heat and stir in 1/3 cup almonds; reserve remaining almonds for garnish. Stir mixture over low heat just until it liquefies. Immediately pour praline mixture onto cookie sheet; spread with back of spoon to 1/2 inch thickness. Let praline cool on cookie sheet on wire rack 10 minutes or until firm.

7. Break praline into small pieces. In food processor with knife blade attached, process praline until ground into fine powder.

8. To serve, with long serrated knife, slice Wreath horizontally in half. If you like, pull out some of the moist interior of Wreath and discard. In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, heat cream and 1 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold praline into chilled Pastry Cream; spoon into bottom of Wreath. Top with whipped cream. Replace top of wreath. Refrigerate dessert if not serving right away.
9. To serve, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar; garnish with reserved almonds.

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