Saint-Honoré

Chef Philippe’s selected Saint-Honoré sets cream-filled, caramel-coated choux around a caramelised puff-pastry disc. Vanilla diplomat cream fills both the choux and the centre, while a separate vanilla Chantilly decorates the top.

The prepared puff pastry is rolled, chilled and baked beneath a second tray before icing sugar caramelises its surface. A warm disc is cut from it, while the water-and-butter choux paste is dried, mixed with eggs and piped in two sizes.

An optional butter, flour and brown-sugar craquelin covers the choux before baking. For the diplomat cream, a vanilla milk custard incorporates butter and hydrated gelatin, then cools before whipped cream is folded through it and piped into the cooled choux.

Sugar, glucose syrup and water cook into caramel, with Nougasec offered optionally. The filled choux receive caramel caps and are attached around the pastry disc with more of the same caramel; the remaining diplomat cream fills the centre.

Cream is whipped separately with icing sugar and powdered vanilla to make the Chantilly. Piped quenelles, a central rosette and smaller choux complete the decoration, and the finished Saint-Honoré stays chilled until serving.