St. Honoré Chinese New Year

Knead all the ingredients except the Croissant Butter.

Divide into 4 kg dough balls and let them rest, covered, on the counter for 15 minutes.

Roll out on a baking sheet and refrigerate overnight.

Give each ball two single folds, then rest for two hours in the refrigerator.

Give two more single folds.

Let it rest for at least two hours in the refrigerator.

Roll out to a thickness of 4 mm and cut out circles measuring 26 cm, 22 cm and 16 cm, and cut a 5 cm circle in the centre of each circle.

Let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours and bake at 150 °C for 30 minutes.

Melt all the ingredients except the flour and eggs in a saucepan.

Add the flour and cook briefly until the mixture forms a smooth dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan. 

Add the eggs little by little in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

When the desired consistency is reached, place in a pastry bag with a round nozzle (16 mm) and pipe onto a silicone baking mat with micro-perforation.

Bake for 15 minutes at 160 °C with the vent closed and for another 15 minutes with the vent open.

Infuse the milk and cream with the vanilla pods.

Strain and make a pastry cream with the remaining ingredients.

Emulsify with 400 g caramel chocolate while still warm.

Cool in a mixer with a paddle attachment for a creamier texture.

Refrigerate.

Dip the baked choux puffs in tempered red and yellow chocolate and dust with gold powder.