Tahini Paris Brest with Pistachios

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Tahini Paris Brest with Pistachios

Photo: Tal Sivan Ziporin

Whether you like it or not, I’m pretty sure you ran into tahini as an ingredient in recipes over the past few years. Tahini has become one of the most popular ingredients in different kitchens all over the world; and it’s definitely one of my personal favorites as well.

Tahini paste is actually sesame seeds butter, that traditionally makes a delicious tahini dressing that is very common in Middle Eastern countries. It’s a perfect addition to salads and here in Israel you can barely find someone who doesn’t like tahini.

Personally, I like to combine tahini in desserts and cakes that I make. When combined with sugar and other dessert-ingredients, it get a delicious flavor of halva (another traditional Middle-Eastern treat).

This tahini Paris Brest combines a French classic of choux pastry dessert shaped like a bicycle tire (that’s a very common dessert in Paris patisseries), filled with sweet tahini cream, that resembles halva and chopped pistachios for decoration. It’s easy to make and so delicious!

Looking for more patisserie cakes recipes? Click here >>

Tahini Paris Brest with Pistachios

Photo: Tal Sivan Ziporin



Tahini Paris Brest with Pistachios

For choux pastry:

  • 125 ml. milk
  • 125 ml. water
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 60 grams sugar
  • 100 grams butter
  • 140 grams all-purpose flour
  • 3-4 beaten eggs
  • Sugar crystals for decoration

For halva cream:

  • 500 ml. heavy cream
  • 50 grams raw tahini paste
  • 50 grams honey
  • 2 tsp. instant vanilla pudding powder

Decoration:

  • 30-40 grams chopped roasted pistachios
  • Sugar powder
  1. Choux pastry: in a medium saucepan over high heat put milk, water, salt, sugar and butter and bring to a strong boil. It is important to make sure the butter melts completely.
  2. Once the mixture boils, remove from heat and add in the flour at once.
  3. With a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until smooth dough forms and separated from the sides of the pot.
  4. Transfer the dough to a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment and blend for 2-3 minutes, until slightly cooled.
  5. Add half of the beaten eggs and continue to beat on medium speed. The dough will look like it’s falling apart, but keep on beating and it’ll come together again.
  6. Continue to gradually add in the eggs until the dough is flexible. Do the “finger test”, and check whether a thin string of dough is formed between 2 fingers. If the dough is ready and there is no need to add the remaining egg. If still not sufficiently flexible – add a little more egg and continue mixing.
  7. When the dough is ready transfer it into a piping bag fitted with 2 cm serrated piping tip.
  8. Pipe 10-12 cm diameter circles on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle a little sugar crystals for decoration.
  9. Preheat oven to 180c degrees.
  10. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden evenly. In the first 10 minutes of baking, it is important not to open the oven door.
  11. Cool completely at room temperature.
  12. Slice the paris brest into two parts with a paring knife.
  13. Halva cream: in a bowl of a mixer whip cream, tahini, honey and stabilizer until you get a uniform and very stable cream.
  14. Transfer the cream into a piping bag with 2 cm serrated piping tip.
  15. Sprinkle chopped pistachio generously over the cream and seal with the top part.
  16. Garnish with powdered sugar and serve.
  • Paris Brest is at its best on the day of preparation.
  • Instead of pistachios you can use any other kind of nut you like.

Tahini Paris Brest with Pistachios

Photo: Tal Sivan Ziporin