Pie and Pastry Bible (168 page)

Have ready near the range a fine strainer, lined with cheesecloth, suspended over a small mixing bowl.

In a small heavy nonreactive saucepan, place the sugar and the vanilla bean and, using your fingers, rub the seeds into the sugar. Add the salt and yolks and, using a wooden spoon, stir until well blended.

In another small saucepan (or heatproof glass measure if using a microwave on high power), scald
^*
the milk and coffee. Stir a few tablespoons of the milk mixture into the yolk mixture, then gradually add the remaining milk, stirring constantly. Heat the mixture to just below the boiling point (170° to 180°F.), stirring constantly. Steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. A finger run across the back of the spoon will leave a well-defined track. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into the strainer, scraping up the thickened cream that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Return the vanilla pod to the sauce until serving time.

Cool the sauce in an ice-water bath or refrigerate. Stir in the optional Kahl—a and cover tightly.

STORE

Refrigerated, up to 5 days; frozen, up to 3 months. (The sauce will thicken slightly after 8 hours.)

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

See Ice Cream Pies and Ice Cream (page 223).

PRALINE CUSTARD SAUCE

(Cræme Anglaise Pralinée)

P
raline paste consists of hazelnuts and caramelized sugar pulverized to a smooth consistency. It adds incomparable nutty flavor and body, so only half the usual amount of egg yolks is needed in a sauce based in it. It also adds sweetness, making it unnecessary to add any sugar. Dark rum and Cognac both highlight the nutty flavor and cut the richness. This sauce is especially delicious beneath the Chocolate Oblivion Tartlets (page 308).

MAKES: 1 FULL CUPS
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
		VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
praline paste (see page 643)	¼ cup	2.7ounces	77grams
milk	1 liquid cup	8.5 ounces	242 grams
salt	a speck	•	•
2 large egg yolks	2 tablespoons	1.3 ounces	37grams
pure vanilla extract	1 teaspoon	•	4 grams
optional: rum or cognac	1½ tablespoons	0.75 ounce	21 grams

In a food processor, place the praline paste and, with the motor running, gradually add the milk. Process until smooth.

In a small heavy nonreactive saucepan, using a wooden spoon, stir together the salt and yolks until well blended.

In another small saucepan (or heatproof glass measure if using a microwave on high power), heat the praline mixture to the boiling point. Stir a few tablespoons into the yolk mixture, then gradually add the remainder of the praline mixture and the vanilla extract, stirring constantly. Heat the mixture to just below the boiling point (170° to 180°F.), stirring constantly. Steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. A finger run across the back of the spoon will leave a well-defined track. Immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into the strainer, scraping up the thickened cream that has settled on the bottom of the pan.

Cool the sauce in an ice-water bath or the refrigerator. Stir in the optional liquor and cover tightly.

STORE

Refrigerated, up to 5 days; frozen, up to 3 months. (The sauce will thicken slightly after 8 hours.)

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

See Ice Cream Pies and Ice Cream (page 222).

PISTACHIO CUSTARD SAUCE

(Cræme Anglaise aux Pistaches)

T
his sauce is the palest of greens and beautifully perfumed by the pistachio nuts. Pistasha liqueur intensifies the pistachio flavor and slightly deepens the color. This sauce contrasts beautifully with the dark chocolate of the Chocolate Oblivion Tartlets (page 308). Since I always have difficulty deciding whether I prefer pistachio or raspberry sauce with chocolate, I sometimes drop little pools of raspberry on top of the pistachio (using a squeeze bottle) and intermingle them.

In a small saucepan (or heatproof glass measure if using a microwave on high power), place the nuts and milk and scald* the milk. Remove it from the heat; cover tightly and allow it to steep for at least 30 minutes up to 3 hours at room temperature.

Strain the milk through a sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Press to remove all the milk, then discard the nuts. Return the milk to the saucepan or the heatproof glass measure.

Have a fine strainer suspended over a small bowl ready near the range.

In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, using a wooden spoon, stir together the sugar, salt, and yolks until well blended.

Scald the milk again and stir a few tablespoons into the yolk mixture. Then gradually add the remaining milk, stirring constantly. Heat the mixture to just
below the boiling point (170° to 180°F.), stirring constantly. Steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. A finger run across the back of the spoon will leave a well-defined track. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened cream that has settled on the bottom of the pan.

Cool the sauce in an ice-water bath or in the refrigerator. Stir in the optional liqueur and cover tightly.

STORE

Refrigerated, up to 5 days; frozen, up to 3 months. (The sauce will thicken slightly after 8 hours.)

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

See Ice Cream Pies and Ice Cream (page 223).

UNDERSTANDING

The nuts must be blanched because if the skin remains, the color will be slightly brown instead of green.

FRUIT GLAZES

F
resh fruit, particularly when sliced, requires a glaze to keep the moisture and freshness in and to add a decorative glow. I’m very proud of this recipe because it presented one of the greatest challenges in this book: how to create a glaze for cut fruit on tarts that will hold up at room temperature for several hours and not merge with the fruit’s juices and slide off into little puddles as does gelatin or preserves glazes, nor be rubbery, as are some of the commercial glazes.

The ideal glaze turned out to be fruit syrup (resulting from poaching fruit) or fruit juice thickened with starch. The ideal starch is cassava (tapioca flour, see page 650). It is the clearest, with no rubbery quality, and is the least affected by acidity. Both arrowroot and cornstarch work well too, but an arrowroot glaze is slightly yellow and a cornstarch glaze slightly cloudy. A cassava glaze holds up on the fruit for eight hours at room temperature and four days in the refrigerator! A cornstarch glaze holds up for two days in the refrigerator before becoming dull and cracked. An arrowroot glaze only holds up for one day. I tested it on two difficult, watery sliced fruits: fresh strawberries and fresh figs. It does not work, however, on fresh mango or papaya, probably because of an enzyme similar to that contained in papaya. In these cases, strained preserves work best (see Apricoture, page 638). If using regular preserves, which are usually thinner, it is best to simmer the preserves first with a little refiner’s or corn syrup. This thickens them by evaporating some of the liquid while the syrup keeps them fluid enough to apply to the fruit.

A gelatin-based glaze is clear, shiny, and holds up well on poached fruit if refrigerated. This glaze is a little thicker than a starch-thickened glaze in order for it to adhere well to the fruit.

TO MAKE A GELATIN GLAZE
Use the syrup from poaching the fruit (do not concentrate it). Sprinkle ¾ teaspoon of gelatin over ¾ cup of syrup and allow it to sit and soften for 5 minutes. Use a 1-cup heatproof liquid measure if using a microwave on high power, or a small heatproof cup surrounded by boiling water. Heat until the gelatin is dissolved, stirring once or twice. Stir the glaze over ice water until syrupy and use it at once.

TO MAKE A FRUIT SYRUP OR FRUIT JUICE STARCH GLAZE
In a 1-cup heatproof liquid measure if using a microwave on high power, or in a small saucepan, stir 1 teaspoon of cassava, arrowroot, or cornstarch into ¼ cup of fruit syrup or fruit juice, preferably concentrated. Heat, stirring once or twice (constantly if using the range), until thickened. (With arrowroot, this will happen before it comes to a boil; with cassava, a few seconds after it comes to a boil; and with cornstarch, it must come to a boil and simmer for 20 to 30 seconds.) Use immediately, or cover and store at room temperature for up to 12 hours. If it has been stored, reheat the glaze, using a microwave or very low heat, until just beginning to bubble. If it is no longer fluid even after heating, stir in a few drops of water to restore it to a workable consistency.

TO MAKE A LEMON STARCH GLAZE
In a 1-cup heatproof liquid measure if using a microwave on high power, or a small saucepan, stir together 2 tablespoons of strained freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of water, ¼ cup of sugar, and 1½ teaspoons of cassava, arrowroot, or cornstarch. Heat, stirring once or twice (constantly if using the range), until thickened. (With arrowroot, this will happen before it comes to a boil; with cassava it must come to a boil and simmer for 20 to 30 seconds; with cornstarch it must reach a full boil and simmer for 30 seconds.) Use immediately, or cover and store at room temperature for up to 12 hours. If it has been stored, reheat the glaze, using a microwave or very low heat, until just beginning to bubble. If it is no longer fluid even after heating, stir in a few drops of water to restore it to a workable consistency.