From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This lovely dessert is one of my personal favorites. Despite my love for it, I don't make it all that often. It's not hard to do, but it's time consuming to assemble and I tend to prepare it only for close friends or special occasions. The cake has the same elements as Boston cream pie, but over the years it's been refined and its various components now represent the "best of show" from different places. The sponge layers, génoise, come from Italy, the crème pâtissière is, of course, French, as is the glaze, a rich dark chocolate ganache that's interpreted here by Alton Brown. It is a thoroughly satisfying dessert that I think you'll really enjoy. Final assembly is simple. Two sponge layers are filled with pastry cream and glazed with ganache. Here are the recipes for all three of its elements.
Génoise...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Jacques Torres
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons honey
2 cups unbleached, pastry flour, sifted
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
2) Place a 1-quart saucepan half filled with water over high heat and bring it to a simmer. Make a double boiler by setting a large mixing bowl over simmering water. Place whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and honey in mixing bowl and make an egg foam by whisking mixture to 113 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 7 to 10 minutes. When it is thick, it will be hot to the touch, tripled in volume, and light in color and sugar will have completely dissolved. If you dip a whisk into mixture and pull it out, batter should fall back into bowl in a thick ribbon.
3) Remove mixing bowl from heat and whip batter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until it cools, increases in volume, stiffens slightly and becomes pale yellow, about 7 to 10 minutes. Very, very carefully, fold in flour with a rubber spatula until it is no longer visible, making sure to fold to bottom of bowl. Do not over mix or batter will deflate. Fill prepared pans with batter.
4) Transfer to oven and bake on center rack until well-risen and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let layers cool slightly. Unmold, remove parchment paper and finish cooling on a wire rack. Layers can be stored in the freezer for 2 to 3 weeks if well wrapped in plastic wrap. Return it to room temperature before using it.
Crème Pâtissière - French Pastry Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Julia Child
Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or 1/2 tablespoon vanilla combined with 2 tablespoons dark rum
Directions:
1) Place egg yolks in a 2-1/2 quart saucepan. Gradually beat in the sugar with a wire whip and beat until mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms ribbons. Beat in flour, then beat in hot milk in a thin stream.
2) Set over moderately high heat and stir slowly and continuously with a wire whip, reaching all over bottom and sides of pan, until mixture thickens. As it turns lumpy, beat vigorously to smooth it out.
3) Lower temperature and continue stirring for several minutes to cook flour and thicken cream. Be very careful about scorching cream in bottom of pan; be sure your pan is heavy, be sure to keep stirring, and do not use high heat, particularly after cream has started to thicken.
4) Remove from heat; beat in butter and the flavoring. Clean off sides of the pan with a spatula. Film top of the pastry cream with 1/2 tablespoon milk, rum or kirsch to prevent crusting. Chill. (Pastry cream will keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated.)
Ganache...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Alton Brown
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons corn syrup
6 ounces heavy cream
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Combine corn syrup and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and add chocolate. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Cool to room temperature. Pour over cold cake.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Boston Cream Pie - Felice in the Kitchen
Boston Cream Whoopie Pies - Baking and Boys!
Individual Boston Cream Pies - Pastry Studio
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes - Baking Powders
Deluxe Boston Cream Pie - Eat Me, Delicious
Boston Cream Pie - Annie's Eats
