Saint Honore

This was a challenge that had been pending for many years, and finally, I did it last weekend.Perhaps, the result wasn´t as expectacular as I expected, but isn´t too bad to be the first time. And the most important, it was delicius!

Ingredients

Puff Pastryf for the  Base

For Choux Pastry:

• 500 ml water
• 35grmas butter
•  flour, sifted
• 3 eggs
• Pinch of salt

Pastry Cream

• 500 ml milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 60 grams superfine sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 35 grams  sifted flour

Filling:

• 250ml heavy whipping cream

Toffee:

• 150gram sugar
• a splash of water

Put the pastry into a mold with weight on (like dry chickpeas), not to raise in excess.Bakeit  for 20 minutes at 200ºc.For Choux Pastry: Bring water and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Add sifted flour to pan, all at once,and beat hard until mixture is smooth and comes away from the sides of the pan. Turn out onto a plate to cool.

When cool, place the pastry in a medium bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating hard in between each addition. Add the salt.

Preheat oven to 200ºC. Place the pastry into a piping bag with a large nozzle and pipe small nut shapes onto a greased, floured baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep pastry in oven for 20 more minutes to dry out the centers. Cool and store in an airtight container until ready to use. Pastry Cream: In medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, slowly bring milk and vanilla bean to a boil. Discard the bean.

In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolk until pale and thickened. Beat in flour. Add a little of the boiling milk to the egg mixture, and then pour all this back into the pot of milk. Bring back to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool. Filling: Whip cream  until stiff. Place bowl in freezer for 20 minutes. Toffee: Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until brown. To assemble: Place pastry cream into a piping bag with a thin, pointed nozzle. Fill each choux with pastry cream. Place a layer of choux in a circle around the edge of the pastry base and drizzle a thin coating of hot toffee on them. Fill the center of  with whipped cream.