Paris-Brest

This delightful pâte à choux dessert was created by a French pastry chef named Pierre Gateau (no kidding). His shop was located in a suburb of Paris on the route of the famous bicycle race from Paris to Brest (a town in Brittany) and back. In 1891, he decided to honor the race and at the same time try to increase his business a little by creating a cake that resembled the wheel of a bicycle.

Paris-Brest is traditionally filled with a very rich praline-flavored mixtu