Gateau aux Crepes

[Megan Blocker]

Gateau aux Crepes

Serves 6 as Dessert.

This cake is based on a recipe by Amanda Hesser, which in turn was based on a dessert created by Lady M Confections, a bakery on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It's gorgeous and delicious, and though it takes time to put together, it takes relatively little skill. No crumb coat, no fussy buttercream...so go for it!

The pastry cream described below is vanilla, but you could flavor it with coffee, chocolate...whatever strikes your fancy.

The batter and the pastry cream will need to rest overnight, so be sure to plan ahead.

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For the crepe batter:

• 6 T unsalted butter
  
• 3 c milk
  
• 6 eggs
  
• 1-1/2 c flour
  
• Pinch salt
  
• 7 T sugar
  

For the pastry cream:

• 2 c whole milk
  
• 1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
  
• 6 egg yolks
  
• 1/2 c sugar
  
• 1/3 c cornstarch, sifted
  
• 3-1/2 T butter, softened
  

To put it all together:

• Neutral oil, such as corn or canola
  
• 2 c heavy cream
  
• 1 T sugar, plus extra for the brulee
  
• 2 T Grand Marnier
  

To make the batter:

Brown the butter in a small pan until it darkens and turns nutty. Set aside to cool a bit, and heat the milk in another pan until steaming, but not boiling, and set that aside to cool for ten minutes.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the eggs, flour, sugar and salt on medium speed. Once combined into a smooth, thick batter, slowly add the hot milk in a thin stream, with the mixer on low speed. Do the same with the browned butter. Cover the batter and refrigerate overnight.

To make the pastry cream:

In a small pan, bring the milk, the vanilla bean and the scraped seeds just to a boil, then set aside to cool for ten minutes. Build an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and nesting a medium bowl inside it - you'll use this to cool down the pastry cream.

In a medium pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Remove the vanilla bean from the hot milk, and then add the milk gradually to the egg-cornstarch mixutre. Place the pan over medium heat and bring just to a boil, whisking the mixture all the while. It will start to come together into a loose paste when it reaches boiling. Remove the pan from the heat, and press the cream through a mesh sieve or chinois set over the smaller bowl nested in the ice bath.

Once the cream has cooled for a few minutes, mix in the butter. Allow the pastry cream to cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating it overnight.

Putting it all together:

Remove the crepe batter from the fridge an hour ahead of time and let it come to room temperature. You may need to mix it up a bit, as some of the flour may have gathered on the surface or settled to the bottom.

Place a non-stick 9- or 10-inch crepe pan over medium heat, and swab it with a bit of the oil. Once the pan is hot, add enough batter to just cover the bottom of the pan and tilt the pan to coat. Cook until the edges become brown and lacy (just like making a pancake) and flip the crepe using a large, non-stick spatula. Cook on the other side until done, another 5-30 seconds, depending on your pan, your stove, and the batter. Transfer the crepe to a sheet of parchment paper and allow to cool, laid out flat. Repeat until the batter is gone - you should have enough batter for about 25 crepes.

Press the pastry cream through the sieve one more time. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream, sugar and Grand Marnier on high speed until the mixture forms soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream until evenly and well-combined.

Now you're ready to assemble. Put your heartiest crepe on a cake plate and top with enough cream to cover the crepe with a thin layer - you should need just under 1/4 cup or so. Spread the cream evenly using an off-set spatula, and repeat until you have stacked 20 or so crepes on top of one another, saving your prettiest crepe for your top layer (you will not cover this one with cream).

Put the cake in the fridge for at least two hours. When you're ready to eat it, sprinkle the top crepe evenly with sugar and brulee it as you would a creme brulee - if you have a torch. If you don't, just dust the top with granulated or confectioner's sugar.

If you brulee the top, return the cake to the fridge for ten minutes to allow the top layers of cream to set up again after their bout with the heat, and then serve.

Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Cake

( RG1679 )