Paris-Brest

Bring 1/2 cup milk to a boil with 1/2 cup water, just under 1/2 cup butter and a pinch of salt and sugar each. Add 1 cup of flour all at once and stir vigorously off the heat. Put back on the stove and continue to stir until a ball of dough forms that detaches from the sides of the pan. It will take about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat again, place the dough in a large bowl, slightly spread it out and let it cool. Add an egg and then the second egg only when the first has been entirely mixed in. Continue in this way until you have added all the eggs.|Put this dough in a pastry bag with a smooth tip (1/2 inch). Draw a circle with an 8 1/2 inch diameter on a sheet of parchment paper. Turn the sheet of parchment paper over and form a circle of dough following the circle drawn on the paper. Make another circle of dough just inside the first, and then a third circle above the two you’ve already placed on the paper. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and granulated sugar. Bake at 365°F for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door and let it dry for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. If you have any extra dough, use it to make beignets.|Heat the remaining milk with the vanilla pod opened up lengthwise. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar, 3 1/2 tablespoons of flour and the sifted cornstarch. Add this mixture to the milk and stir with a whisk until it comes to a boil. Continue until the custard thickens. Then spread it out on a tray to cool. Prepare the butter cream: use an electric mixer to whip 1 cup of butter with the powdered sugar, adding it little by little until you obtain a soft foam. Gently add it to the cold custard. Finely crumble the almond brittle and add it to the custard, then place the mixture in a pastry bag with a serrated nozzle (ø 1/2 inch). Halve the ring, being careful not to break it, spread the custard on the lower half of the ring, put the top half back on and sprinkle it generously with powdered sugar. Serve immediately, accompanied with a seasonal fruit salad to taste.