St Sernin Basilica, Toulouse France

St Saturnin or Sernin was the first bishop of Toulouse.  He was martyred in 250 CE by having his feet tied to a bull and dragged through the streets.   St Sylvius, then bishop of Toulouse began the construction of the first church at this location at the end of the 4^th century.  This church was conveniently located along the major pilgrimage route from Arles to Santiago de Compostela.    This site grew in importance after a major donation of relics from Charlemagne between 768 and 800.   By the 11^th century a newer, much larger church was begun, as the existing facility was too small the handle the crowds. 

Today the Basilica still houses many relics and works of art.  Much to my surprise, St. Honore rests here.  He is the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs.  There are many streets named St. Honore after him, not to mention patisseries and boulangeries all over the world.   One of my favorite bakeries named St. Honore is in Portland Oregon. 

I have a personal encounter with St Honore that makes knowing his relics are nearby all the much sweeter!!  I found a recipe in a library book for the St. Honore cake; a delicious confection of several types of pastry and crèmes.  It is assembled as a sweet pastry dough base, rimmed with cream puff pastry.  Little cream puffs circle the base to form a space to hold the pastry cream in the center of the cake.  The cream puffs are dipped in caramel and spun caramel tops the center pastry cream.   

A notice comes home from my son’s new school:  Donations needed for the cake raffle fund raiser.  I decide there is no better time to break out the St. Honore cake recipe and make it for the raffle!    I spent hours in the kitchen; back and forth between the multiple recipes to make one cake (this cake would delight Escoffier to see all the cross references between recipes!).  Finally the cake was ready and assembled.  I dropped the cake off with my young son at school that morning- all the oohs and aahs were almost worth the time spent.  But what I really wanted was for my son to win an equal confection at the raffle.  Much to my surprise and not to mention disappointment, he comes home with a small plate of slice and bake cookies!  So now I feel I have a special connection with this saint, born of a love for all things from the kitchen. 

St Sernin Basilica, Toulouse France

St Saturnin or Sernin was the first bishop of Toulouse.  He was martyred in 250 CE by having his feet tied to a bull and dragged through the streets.   St Sylvius, then bishop of Toulouse began the construction of the first church at this location at the end of the 4^th century.  This church was conveniently located along the major pilgrimage route from Arles to Santiago de Compostela.    This site grew in importance after a major donation of relics from Charlemagne between 768 and 800.   By the 11^th century a newer, much larger church was begun, as the existing facility was too small the handle the crowds. 

Today the Basilica still houses many relics and works of art.  Much to my surprise, St. Honore rests here.  He is the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs.  There are many streets named St. Honore after him, not to mention patisseries and boulangeries all over the world.   One of my favorite bakeries named St. Honore is in Portland Oregon. 

I have a personal encounter with St Honore that makes knowing his relics are nearby all the much sweeter!!  I found a recipe in a library book for the St. Honore cake; a delicious confection of several types of pastry and crèmes.  It is assembled as a sweet pastry dough base, rimmed with cream puff pastry.  Little cream puffs circle the base to form a space to hold the pastry cream in the center of the cake.  The cream puffs are dipped in caramel and spun caramel tops the center pastry cream.   

A notice comes home from my son’s new school:  Donations needed for the cake raffle fund raiser.  I decide there is no better time to break out the St. Honore cake recipe and make it for the raffle!    I spent hours in the kitchen; back and forth between the multiple recipes to make one cake (this cake would delight Escoffier to see all the cross references between recipes!).  Finally the cake was ready and assembled.  I dropped the cake off with my young son at school that morning- all the oohs and aahs were almost worth the time spent.  But what I really wanted was for my son to win an equal confection at the raffle.  Much to my surprise and not to mention disappointment, he comes home with a small plate of slice and bake cookies!  So now I feel I have a special connection with this saint, born of a love for all things from the kitchen.