INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Butter a 2 by 10-inch pan and line the bottom with a piece of
parchment or buttered waxed paper.  To form the dough, fold it over on
itself several times on a lightly  floured surface and form it into a
sphere, rounding it so that the  outside skin of the dough is smooth
and seamless. Cover the rounded  piece of dough with a towel and allow
to rest for 5 minutes. Then  press dough evenly into the prepared pan
and pierce it at 1-inch  intervals with a fork. Cover the pan with a
towel and allow the dough  to rise until it is half again larger in
bulk, about 30 minutes.  Uncover the dough and refrigerate it for 20
minutes. Immediately  after you refrigerate the dough, set a rack at
the middle level of  the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. To make the
topping, combine all  ingredients except the almonds in a small
saucepan. Place the pan  over low heat and bring the mixture to a boil
stirring constantly.  Stir in the almonds, then remove the pan from the
heat, and pour the  topping into a buttered, heat proof bowl and cool
it to room  temperature.  After the dough has chilled for 20 minutes,
remove it from the  refrigerator and, using the back of a spoon or a
small offset metal  spatula, spread the almond topping evenly. Bake for
about 30 minutes,  until the topping is well caramelized and the dough
is firm and baked  through. Remove the pan to a rack to cool for ten
minutes, then  loosen the topping from the sides of the pan by
inserting the point  of a small sharp knife 1/2-inch down between the
topping and the side  of the pan. Unmold the cake, remove the paper and
cool it on a rack.  While the cake is baking prepare the filling:
Combine 3/4 cup of the  milk and the sugar in a non-reactive saucepan
over low heat. Whisk  once to mix in the sugar and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, whisk the  remaining milk and cornstarch thoroughly in a
small mixing bowl and  whisk in the yolks. Whisk in the boiled milk in
a stream and return  the mixture to the pan. Replace pan over low heat
and whisk  constantly as the cream thickens and comes to a boil, about
2  minutes. Allow to boil, whisking 30 seconds. Remove from heat; whisk
in vanilla. Divide the butter into 8 pieces and whisk into the cream
one piece at a time. Pour the cream into a bowl, scrape sides of the
bowl clean with a rubber spatula and press plastic wrap against the
surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate  cream
until cold. Remove the cream from the refrigerator and whisk by  hand
until smooth, about 10    seconds.  To fill the cake, slice it in half
horizontally using a sharp serrated  knife. Place the bottom layer on a
platter and, using a small offset  metal spatula, spread evenly with
the filling. Cut the top of the  cake into 10 or 12 wedges and
rearrange them on top of the cake,  fitting them closely together.
(Pre-cutting the top eliminates  pressure when the cake is cut and
prevents the filling from oozing  out).  NOTES : Recipe courtesy of
Nick Malgieri  Recipe by: Cooking Live Show #CL9045  Posted to
MC-Recipe Digest by "Angele and Jon Freeman"  <jfreeman@comteck.com> on
Feb 7, 1998

A Message from our Provider:

“Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.”

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 3317
Calories From Fat: 2224
Total Fat: 255.9g
Cholesterol: 1184.5mg
Sodium: 179.9mg
Potassium: 1505mg
Carbohydrates: 229g
Fiber: 15.4g
Sugar: 190.1g
Protein: 49.9g