Kirsten Tibballs’ Saint Honoré

Method

1. In a saucepan, heat the cream (A), vanilla, and glucose. 
2. Once the liquids come to a boil, pour them over the white chocolate and whisk until completely melted and incorporated. 
3. Add the cream (B) and whisk to combine. 
4. Cover the surface of the Chantilly cream with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours. 

Creme Patissiere  

Ingredients

35 g caster sugar 

15 g cornstarch or custard powder 

70 g egg yolks 

165 g full cream milk 

pinch of salt 

1 tsp Heilala Vanilla Bean Paste 

80 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed 

Method

1. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl, then add the egg yolks and whisk by hand to create a slurry. 
2. In a saucepan, heat the milk, salt, and vanilla until it comes to a boil. 
3. Pour approximately half of the hot liquid over the slurry while whisking, then transfer the combined mixture back into the saucepan. 
4. While continuously whisking over low-medium heat, bring the mixture to the boil. Once boiling, continue to whisk while heating for a further minute. 
5. Transfer into a bowl and add the butter, a couple of pieces at a time, and mix to incorporate after each addition. 
6. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and allow to cool at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes before chilling in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1-2 hours. 

Craquelin 

Ingredients

85 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed 

100 g brown sugar 

100 g plain flour 

Method

1. Place the butter, brown sugar, and flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until the ingredients form a smooth paste. 
2. Between two sheets of baking paper, roll the paste to 2mm-2.5mm in thickness. 
3. Place in the freezer for approximately 20 minutes. 
4. Use a 30mm and 20mm round cutter to stamp out two sizes of discs. 
5. Return the craquelin to the freezer while you prepare the choux pastry. 

Choux Pastry 

Ingredients

100 g full cream milk 

100 g water 

pinch of salt 

5 g caster sugar 

95 g unsalted butter 

110 g plain flour, sieved 

230 g whole eggs, more or less 

Method

1. Heat the oven to 170°C, fan forced. 
2. Place the milk, water, salt, sugar, and butter into a saucepan and bring to the boil. 
3. Remove from the heat, add the flour, and mix until completely incorporated. 
4. Return the saucepan to low-medium heat and stir the dough until it develops an oily sheen. 
5. Transfer the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and begin to mix on low speed. 
6. Meanwhile, lightly whisk the eggs to break them up. 
7. Slowly add the egg to the dough, a small amount at a time, allowing to completely incorporate after each addition. Test the consistency of the mixture intermittently by holding a spoonful on its side. If the dough very slowly glides off the spoon, it doesn’t require any more egg. 
8. Transfer the dough into a piping bag. On a baking tray lined with a Silpain mat, pipe two sizes of choux buns, one 10mm in diameter and the other 25mm in diameter. 
9. Place the prepared frozen craquelin discs on top of the piped choux according to their size. 
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 150°C and bake for a further 5 minutes. 

Notes:  

• Any remaining craquelin can be frozen and kept for another application. 

• The baking temperatures and times may vary depending on your oven. The choux should be an even golden-brown colour. 

Puff Pastry Base 

Ingredients

1 sheet store-bought butter puff pastry 

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C, fan forced. 
2. Cut the sheet of puff pastry into a rectangle, 240mm x 120mm in size, then transfer onto a baking tray lined with a Silpain mat. 
3. Dock the surface of the pastry using a fork or pastry docker. 
4. Place a perforated baking tray on top of the pastry and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove the top tray and bake for a further 5 minutes, or until the pastry reaches your desired colour. 

Note: The perforated tray that’s placed on top of the pastry stops the puff pastry from rising too much while baking. 

Toffee Coating 

Ingredients

100 g water 

500 g caster sugar 

large bowl of ice water 

Method

1. Heat the water and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. 
2. Once the toffee reaches 165°C-168°C and the bubbles are golden in colour, remove from the heat and submerge the base of the saucepan in the bowl of ice water to stop the toffee cooking. 
3. Once the bubbles in the toffee dissipate, remove the saucepan from the bowl of cold water. 
4. Use food tweezers or a fork to dip the choux buns into the toffee, then transfer them into half sphere silicon moulds – 40mm in diameter for the smaller choux, and 50mm in diameter for the larger choux. 
5. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. 

Assembly 

Method

1. Transfer the chilled white chocolate Chantilly cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip until it reaches piping consistency. Set the whipped Chantilly aside in the refrigerator until required. 
2. Secure the puff pastry base to a serving plate with a small amount of the prepared creme patissiere. 
3. Create holes in the base of each choux bun, transfer the creme patissiere into a piping bag fitted with an 8mm plain piping tip, and fill each choux. 
4. Arrange 8 large choux buns evenly around the edge of the pastry base and pipe some creme patissiere in the centre of the rectangle. 
5. Transfer the whipped Chantilly into a piping bag fitted with a saint honore piping tip. Pipe the cream in between the choux buns and on top of the crème patissiere. 
6. Lastly, arrange 4 of the small choux buns on top. 

Enjoy!