INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

ALMOND BRITTLE TOPPING
PASTRY CREAM FILLING
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

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