Did I forget to mention it’s also called “mock buttercream”? This is something that a handful of readers have asked me about lately. It was little Jo’s turn to submit a cake for the cake wheel at last Friday’s fish fry, so it seemed like a good time to make it.
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The process of making crème anglaise is almost identical to that of other stirred custards like pastry cream. It simply involves heating your milk and/or cream mixture, then slowly adding it to the yolks so as to avoid cooking them. After that you simply bring the mixture up to temperature and presto — you’re done. Start by scraping the vanilla seeds into the milk. You can substitute a teaspoon of vanilla extract, but custards make real vanilla shine. Use it if you can.
READ ONCrème anglaise is a standard that every aspiring pastry maker needs to know how to prepare. Essentially it’s just a custard (of the “stirred” variety), that’s so thin that it can be used as a sauce. It’s most common application, however, is as an ice cream base. To make it all you need is:
seeds from half a vanilla bean
2 cups whole milk (for a richer result use half milk and half cream)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
I’ve had quite a lot of requests for a “classic” American-style frosting the last few months. And because there’s nothing I won’t do to satisfy my readers, I finally decided to make some. Actually, a standard cake frosting recipe can be a useful thing to have around. My girls, for example, don’t like the richness of real buttercream. Instead they prefer the sweetness of a frosting. Kids. But they’re young yet. The recipe is quite simple. You’ll need:
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I’ve had several requests to put up a recipe for this over the years, but for some reason have never done it. Probably because I usually just eyeball simple (also called “five finger”) icing, combining powdered sugar and water until I get a texture that suits me. Last week’s king cake project spurred quite a few extra requests for a formal recipe. So here it is!
READ ONThis is another component that’s frequently called for, but is so easy to make that you don’t see a recipe for it very often. Handy for everything from cinnamon toast to Danishes and king cake, it’s made from what it sounds like: cinnamon and sugar. One tablespoon cinnamon to half a cup of sugar, to be precise. Simply put them together in bowl…
Perfectly smooth, commercially-made praline paste is ubiquitous in many parts of Europe. Here in the States it’s virtually unknown. However once you taste it I have no doubt it will quickly attain a place of prominence in your spread pantheon — alongside nutella, peanut butter, jam and, for you Aussies and Brits, vegemite and marmite. It’s also very handy as a pastry ingredient, obviously. Begin by assembling your ingredients. The praline comes first. Lay the nuts out on a lightly oiled sheet of parchment paper.
READ ONPeople tasting praline paste for the first time tend to fall to their knees and weep for all the wasted years. For while it is an ingredient, it’s also a spread in its own right, a sweet nut butter with strong caramel overtones. You’ll need to resist the urge to keep spooning it into your […]
READ ONSweet Potato Filling 1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes 1 medium onion, sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons milk Salt and pepper to taste A great New-World twist on a classic potato blintz filling. Preheat your oven to 350. Toss the sweet potato cubes with the olive […]
READ ONMeat Filling 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil 1 small onion 1/2 pound ground beef or finely chopped brisket 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon tomato paste salt and pepper pepper to taste This classic blintz filling can be customized as you see fit. Chop the onion finely and sweat it in a […]
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