Hazelnut Paris-Brest with hazelnut ice cream and warm chocolate sauce

Method

1. To make the hazelnut ice cream, heat a pan over a medium heat and add the hazelnuts. Dry fry until aromatic and nicely toasted. Transfer the hazelnuts to a chopping board and roughly chop them. Wam the milk slightly just to body heat, and then add the hazelnuts to the milk. Leave to infuse for one hour.

2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Heat the milk again and then strain it onto the yolks. Return the mixture back into a pan and gradually thicken over the heat. Add the cream and strain. Transfer to an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze for a few hours.

3. To make the choux, preheat the oven to 210C/200C Fan/Gas 6.

4. Bring 150ml/5fl oz water, sugar and butter to a boil in a pan, quickly tip in the flour and salt, and beat quickly until the paste comes away from the pan.

5. Tip into a free-standing mixer and slowly beat in the eggs one by one. Allow to cool.

6. Spoon the choux batter into a piping bag. With a pencil, draw 2 circles onto a non-stick mat and pipe the choux dough over the marked out rounds.

7. Bake for 8–10 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool.

8. To make the hazelnut praline, prepare a baking tray by lining it with oiled parchment paper. To caramelise the sugar, put it into a pan and heat it up, the sugar will melt and once it is molten will caramelise quickly. Once it becomes a dark caramel, add the hazelnuts and and tip onto the oiled sheet. Allow to cool.

9.  For the chocolate sauce, heat the maple syrup in a small pan and whisk in the chocolate until melted and combined. Take off the heat and stir in the butter and cream. Keep warm.

10. To serve, top the bottom half of the choux with a few spoons of ice cream. Spoon over some chocolate sauce and sprinkle over some praline. Top with the other choux ring and dust with icing sugar.