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Île-de-France
A crown of small caramel-glazed choux buns, a heart of Chantilly cream — the dessert Paris gave to all of French patisserie.
Pastry or bakery speciality from Île-de-France.
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The Saint-honoré was born in the heart of Paris in 1847. Contrary to what one might think, its name does not come from the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, but from the street where it was created: the delicacy was invented in a pâtisserie on Rue Saint-Honoré, in the 1er arrondissement. According to pastry chefs Pierre Lacam and Antoine Charabot, credit for this mid-19th-century creation goes to the Parisian pâtissier Chiboust, owner of the eponymous house, who drew inspiration from a Bordeaux dessert, the "flan suisse" — a type of brioche filled with pastry cream. Chiboust then named his invention after the street where his shop was located.
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The original brioche soon presented a problem: being spongy by nature, it absorbed the cream and quickly collapsed. The recipe evolved when its creator, the pastry chef Auguste Jullien, left Maison Chiboust to open his own pâtisserie. In 1863, he reworked the cake entirely: the brioche was replaced with a shortcrust or puff pastry base, ringed by eight small choux buns filled with pastry cream, the whole topped with Chantilly cream or crème Chiboust. Crème Chiboust itself, invented in the bakery-pâtisserie of the same name, is a mixture of pastry cream and meringue; it is also known as "crème Saint-Honoré". Having become a classic found on the counters of most bakeries and pâtisseries, the cake has since undergone many evolutions, leading to more eccentric presentations and flavours tailored to the season — chocolate, strawberry, lemon.
Appearance
A circle of shortcrust or puff pastry surrounded by eight small caramel-glazed choux buns, the whole topped with Chantilly cream or crème Chiboust.
Taste
In the original recipe, the small choux buns are filled with vanilla pastry cream: their sweetness pairs with the caramel of the glaze and the fresh lightness of the Chantilly cream.
The Saint-honoré has departed from its strictly circular shape to embrace more eccentric presentations, and now comes in flavours suited to the seasons — chocolate, strawberry, lemon — alongside the original vanilla-caramel version.
a circle of shortcrust or puff pastry.
eight small choux buns are filled with pastry cream, flavoured with vanilla in the original recipe.
the choux buns are glazed with caramel before being arranged in a crown on the pastry base.
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Having become a classic found on the counters of most bakeries and pâtisseries, the Saint-honoré is available today in more eccentric presentations and varied flavours. A version can be found, for example, at Stohrer, the oldest Parisian pâtisserie (founded in 1730).
The Saint-honoré does not hold any official quality mark (PDO (AOP), AOC, PGI (IGP), TSG (STG), Label Rouge or Organic): it is a pastry recipe found throughout France, with no set specifications or protected production area.
Prestigious house
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