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Folks, tonight I had a bowl of crème légère in a bowl on my counter and I decided it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Not only was it beautiful, it was the best thing I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. It's a combination of pastry cream (as in eclair filling) and homemade whip cream. It was yellow and fluffy and pillowy and it seems to know it's a recipe from heaven: pastry cream layered between graham crackers topped with a layer of chocolate.
I've been complaining to you about baking for fourteen years. (Have I been around here that long?) I decided I was going to become a good baker if my life depends on it. I've been sharpening my cooking skills for many decades so how hard can baking really be? I've often shared my Lucille Ball moments in the kitchen, but I've been slowly turning out dinner rolls, buttercream frosting, cream puffs and tarts. I've gained five pounds.
I wanted to share this recipe with you from the New York Times cooking section. And I want you to make this and join the hundreds of other reviewers who shout "Oh my gosh! This is crazy delicious!" It's called Eclaire Cake and it has simple ingredients and it's really not too hard to make. If you want to skip making homemade pastry cream, get a box of vanilla pudding. And you can also buy whip cream. But honestly, doing this all yourself brings a lot of joy. Here's the recipe. Enjoy.
2 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
15 graham cracker sheets
2 cups heavy cream
3 T powdered sugar
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate very finely chopped
Step 1
Add the butter to a large bowl.
Step 2
Place the granulated sugar in a medium (2-quart) saucepan.
Step 3
Add the cornstarch and egg yolks to the saucepan and whisk vigorously until smooth, creamy and pale yellow, about 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in the milk while gently whisking until combined.
Step 4
Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. It will first look light and foamy on top. Around the 6-minute mark, the foam will subside and the color will be pale yellow. After that, it will thicken quickly and large bubbles will pop up.
Step 5
As soon as you see the large bubbles, whisk for another 30 seconds, then remove from heat (it will continue to thicken as it cools) and, if desired, pour the mixture through a strainer to smooth.
Step 6
Add the vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the surface so the pastry cream doesn't form a skin. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours. Pastry cream can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Step 7
Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with whole graham crackers, breaking up sheets into individual crackers as needed to completely cover the bottom of the dish.
Step 8
In the bowl of a mixer combine 1 cup of the heavy cream with the powdered sugar, whisking on medium-high just until stiff peaks form.
Step 9
When cold, give the pastry cream a thorough stir to smooth out any lumps, then gently fold in the whip cream using a rubber spatula.
Step 10
Evenly spread half of the crème légère (the mix of pastry cream and whipped cream) on top of the graham crackers. Place another layer of graham crackers over the cream to evenly cover. Spread the remaining crème légère evenly on top. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour for the crème légère to set and for the graham crackers to begin to soften.
Step 11
When the crème légère is set, prepare the chocolate ganache: Place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof glass or metal bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the remaining 1 cup heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. The cream is ready when you start to see small bubbles appear around the sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not overheat the cream or allow it to come to a boil.
Step 12
Pour the warm cream over the chopped chocolate but do not stir; let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how finely the chocolate is chopped. Then gently stir the melted chocolate into the cream until combined, smooth and shiny.
Step 13
Remove the eclair cake from the refrigerator and pour the chocolate ganache on top and spread. Cover again with plastic wrap, making sure the cover doesn't touch the chocolate topping, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 48 hours so the layers of cake set.