Saint-Honoré: The Quintessential French Choux and Cream Cake vs Flan Casero (Homemade Spanish Caramel Custard)

Both desserts lean on milk, eggs and caramel, yet they put them to very different work. The Saint-Honoré cooks milk and egg yolks on the stovetop into a vanilla-bean pastry cream, enriched with butter and lightened with whipped cream, while whole eggs go into hollow choux buns; hardened caramel then adds crunch against crisp puff pastry and soft choux. The flan gently bakes eggs, yolks, milk and condensed milk in a water bath into one smooth, silky custard, its caramel cascading over the top once inverted.