PROJECT PATISSERIE: Adventure #2
“All human wisdom is summed up in two words- wait and hope.”
Those sage words were uttered by the 19th century writer Alexandre
Dumas. Insightful as he was regarding
the human condition, I wonder if Monsieur Dumas wasn’t also a baker on the side
because that’s what I spend a lot of my time in the kitchen doing-waiting and
hoping!
Last weekend’s project was the Gateau Mille Crepe- literally “the cake of a thousand crepes” also
known to us English speaking folks as the French Crepe Cake. Don’t worry, it’s
not really made of a thousand crepes- only twenty, which is still a lot, but
not when you compare it to a thousand.
The Gateau Mille Crepe
takes some time to make- not active working time, mind you, or even baking time
(this is the only cake I know of that doesn’t require the use of an oven) but
resting time. The French Crepe Cake likes to take two hour lunches, work 35
hour weeks, and enjoys six weeks of standard vacation time (Vive la France!)
Somewhat ironic, on a personal note, is that in keeping with
the leisurely style of this cake, it took me almost five years to get around to
making it. I pulled this recipe during my initial burst of interest in French
cooking. It then hung out in my recipe file for about five years until I dug it
out last weekend to satisfy my craving for something creamy and lightly sweet. In
the few days since, I’ve seriously come to regret not making this cake immediately
upon finding the recipe.
A final word to the wise: invite some friends over to help
you eat it, otherwise you may succumb to the temptation to devour it all
yourself.
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| The Gateau Mille Crepes! The texture of this cake is so interesting- not just for the mouth but also for the eye. |
Gateau Mille Crepes (a.k.a. French Crepe Cake)
The CREPE BATTER: make
it the DAY BEFORE you plan on serving
6 T unsalted butter
3 cups of milk
6 eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
7 T sugar
Pinch of salt
Vegetable oil (for the skillet)
Cook the butter over medium-low heat in a small pan until it
turns a hazelnut- brown color. Set aside. In another small pan, heat the milk
until steaming and allow it to cool for ten minutes. In a mixer on medium low
speed, beat together the eggs, flour, sugar, and salt. Slowly add the warm milk
and browned butter. Pour into a container with a spout, cover it, and stick it
in the fridge- OVERNIGHT. While it’s in there, the ingredients are drinking
coffee, smoking cigarettes, and discussing Existentialism. You get to wait.
After a nice long eight hour rest, the crepe batter should
be ready to go. If you have a fancy-pants crepe pan, break it out. If you
don’t, a 9” low-sided frying pan will do. Heat it over medium heat until nice
and hot, swab the surface with a little vegetable oil, then add 3 tablespoons
of crepe batter and swirl to cover the surface. Cook until the bottom just
begins to brown, about 1 minute, then CAREFULLY lift an edge and flip the crepe
with your fingers (don’t burn yourself!) If you’re a seasoned crepe-maker
you’ll be able to flip them over in mid-air (like a pancake) and impress your
friends, if you’re not you can try it anyway and amuse your cat.
Cook on the other side for no longer than 5 seconds. Slide
(or flip) the finished crepe onto a plate. Repeat until you have a stack of 20.
Don’t stress if your crepes look a bit deformed at first, they’ll start looking
better as you work and, anyway, out of the 20 crepes, only the one that goes on
top needs to look somewhat presentable.
The PASTRY CREAM: make it THE DAY BEFORE serving.
Pastry Cream is just a fancy term for vanilla pudding, but
you’ll be well served to do it from scratch as per the recipe- any mention of
the words “instant”, “canned”, or really “pudding” for that matter may lead to
mass street protests from the fancy crepe batter.
2 c. milk
1 T vanilla extract
4 egg YOLKS (save the whites for an omelet… or a meringue)
½ c. sugar
6 T cornstarch
2 T unsalted butter
Bring the milk and vanilla extract to a boil over low heat.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs yolks, sugar, and
cornstarch until smooth and creamy.
Slowly pour half of the boiled milk into the mixing bowl
containing the egg mixture whisking it constantly. Then pour the egg-milk
mixture back into the sauce pan with the remaining milk. Over low heat, whisk
the mixture continuously until it thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from
heat and whisk in the butter until it has melted completely. Transfer the pastry
cream to a bowl and pace plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to
prevent a skin from forming. Stick it in the fridge- and wait. The pastry cream
has to cool completely or when you mix it with the whipped heavy cream (I’ll
get to that part in a second) you’ll have a hot French mess.
FINISHING &
ASSEMBLING: make at least 2 HOURS BEFORE serving
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. whipping cream
1 T sugar
2 T sugar (for the top- optional)
Combine the two creams and sugar and beat with an electric
mixer until billowing peaks form. Fold it into the pastry cream in stages until
smooth. This combination of pastry cream (pudding) and whipped cream is called crème diplomat but on this side of The
Pond we just call it dessert!
Lay a crepe on a plate. Spread a thin layer of the crème diplomat on the crepe. Cover with another crepe and repeat
the process until you have a stack of 20 (with the nicest one on top!) If you
have a kitchen torch, sprinkle the top of the cake with 2 T of sugar and
caramelize it with the torch to give the cake a nice crunch. If not, you can
dust it with powdered sugar to decorate it a bit.
Here’s the painful part- just when you thought you were done
you get to (that’s right): wait. For two more hours while everything sets. You can’t rush perfection.
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