Gateau Saint-Honoré: Elegant choux pastry cream caramel cake

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Cut the puff pastry into a 20 cm disk. Prick it all over with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and puffed. Let cool.

For the choux pastry: In a saucepan, combine 125 ml water, 50g butter, a pinch of salt, and 10g sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and add 75g flour all at once, stirring vigorously. Return to low heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. Transfer to a bowl and beat in 2 large eggs one at a time until smooth. Pipe small choux puffs (about 3 cm) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes until golden and hollow. Let cool.

For the crème chiboust base: Soak gelatin sheets in cold water. In a saucepan, heat 250 ml milk with 1/2 tsp vanilla extract until simmering. In a bowl, whisk 1 egg yolk with 50g sugar and 20g cornstarch. Pour the hot milk slowly over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in the squeezed gelatin until dissolved. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

For the Italian meringue: In a clean bowl, whisk 2 egg whites until soft peaks form. Meanwhile, heat 140g sugar with 40ml water in a small saucepan to 118°C. Slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg whites while continuously whisking until stiff, glossy peaks form and the meringue cools.

Gently fold the cooled crème pâtissière base into the Italian meringue until fully combined and light. This is your crème chiboust. Fill the cooled choux puffs with crème chiboust using a piping bag.

Prepare the caramel: In a clean saucepan, combine 100g sugar with 30ml water. Cook over medium-high heat without stirring until the sugar melts and turns a rich amber color. Remove from heat immediately.

Dip the top of each filled choux puff in the caramel, then quickly dip the bottom in caramel and arrange them around the edge of the baked puff pastry disk, securing them in place. Pour any remaining crème chiboust into the center of the cake.

Serve immediately, or chill for a short period before serving. Enjoy your magnificent Gateau Saint-Honoré!