Saint-Honoré Vakana

Dissolve salt in cold water.

Use the paddle attachment in the mixer to combine the butter and flour.

Once crumbs have formed, add the water and salt mixture.

Mix quickly for a few moments.

It is vital you don’t mix for too long, as this will toughen the dough.

Turn the dough out and shape it into a rectangle.

Cover up the dough and store at 35°F (2°C) for approx. 6 hours.

Use the paddle attachment in a food processor to mix the butter and flour. Beat them until they are fully combined.

Turn out the beurre manié and shape it into a rectangle. Cover up the dough and store it in the refrigerator at 35°F (2°C) for approx. 6 hours.

Roast the raw almonds in a fan oven at 300°F (150°C) until they are golden-brown inside. Make a dry caramel, then pour in the roasted almonds. Spread onto a silicone mat and leave to cool. Blend finely in a food processor to refine the texture as much as possible, then add the vanilla pearl. Store in a cool place.

Bring the milk and vanilla pearl to a boil. Mix sugar and eggs, add corn starch. Pour the boiling liquid into the mixture, put everything back in the pan and cook for 2 minutes until it boils. Take it off the heat and incorporate the cubed butter, but don’t blend. Cool quickly. Dilute with the rum.

Mix a small portion of the cold milk with the potato starch and set aside. Heat the rest of the milk to between 185°F (85°C) and 195°F (90°C). Combine some of the hot milk with the milk and starch mixture. Put everything back in the pan and bring to a boil.

Combine the hot liquid starch with the rehydrated gelatin and vanilla pearl. Emulsion using a spatula, gradually combining with the partially melted chocolate. Blend as soon as possible until you have a perfect emulsion. Add the chilled cream. Blend again. Ideally, leave to set in the refrigerator for 12 hours at 40°F (4°C). Whisk until the texture is firm enough to use in a piping bag or work with a spatula.

Bring the water, milk, salt, sugar, and butter to a boil. Add the flour, then allow the liquid to evaporate. Take it off the heat and gradually incorporate the eggs. Pipe the mixture out.

Bring sugar, vanilla and water to a boil. Add the glucose and cook it until it has the desired color. Use immediately.

Make the inverse puff pastry: place pastry inside beurre manié and fold four times.

Roll out to 0.4 inch thickness. Cut into strips 0.2 inches thick and 10 inches long. Roll up the puff pastry strip and place in a 2.5 inch diameter fluted tartlet tin. Bake at 355ºF (180°C) for 20 minutes with another fluted mold on top to create a small cavity.

Make the praliné, crème pâtissière and ganache and set aside. Make the choux pastry dough. Using a pastry bag fitted with a 0.3 inch tip, pipe 2g choux pastry onto a Silpain mat. Bake in a fan-assisted oven at 430ºF (130°C) for 20 minutes. Caramelize the puff pastry bases with powdered sugar in the oven at 390ºF (200°C) for about 3 minutes. Make the caramel. Glaze the choux pastry and set aside. Place 10g vanilla praliné in the puff pastry base, then 15g crème pâtissière using a piping bag without a tip. Arrange 7 small choux around the crème pâtissière. Whip the ganache, then shape into flower-shaped balls using a piping bag fitted with a 0.3 inch tip. Sprinkle with vanilla powder and place a choux on top, in the center of the Saint-Honoré.