in 1533, when catherine de Medici left Florence to marry the Duke of Orleans (Who later would become Henry II, 1551-1559), King of France from 1547, she brought with her to france her entire court... Which included her chefs.

Seven years later in 1540, her head chef, Panterelli, invented a hot, dried paste with which he made gateaux. He christened the paste Pate a Panterelli.

The original recipe changed as the years passed, and so did the paste's name. It became known as Pate a Popelini, which then became Pate a Popelin. Popelins were a form of cake made in the middle ages, and were crafted to look like a woman's breasts - complete with the filling's 'tip' that poked out circled with cherry creme or chocolate so as to resemble a nipple and areola.

A patissier called Avice perfected the paste in the middle of the eighteenth century and created Choux Buns. The Pate a Popelin became known as Pate a Choux, since only Choux Buns were made from it. Antoine Careme in the nineteenth century perfected the recipe, and this is the recipe for choux pastries that is used across the world to this day.

These Pate a Choux were filled with a thick vanilla creme, and then dipped on the tops with a kaluha chocolate before being served. Enjoy!