The question mark is not a mistake. I am usually very fond of May and it is my favorite month of the year but this past May was not a blessing. We had a shower of frozen rain in the middle of it and we were plagued with high winds and freezing temperatures. My basil died on the deck, twice, and I had to cover all my seedlings of green beans or they would have suffered the same fate. My daily anxiety was now coated with impatience. “Enough already!” I wanted to shout to any complacent ear.
As usual, my kitchen was my retreat and the baking I chose was something of substance, involving, new, so that I, for a few hours, could escape the burdens of these extraordinary circumstances.
Gateau Basque
Ingredients
Ingredients for the crust:
- 3¼ cups all purpose-flour
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest
- ½ cup ground almonds
- ⅔ cup superfine sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 5½ oz unsalted butter, softened
Almond crème pâtissière:
- 6 egg yolks
- 7 oz superfine sugar
- ½ cup regular flour
- ½ cup ground almonds
- 4 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Put the cake together:
- 4 tbsp thick plum or black cherry jam
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
Crust Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients in a food processor and run until the dough starts to come together.
- Take it out and roll it on the floured counter until it makes a ball.
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate while you make the almond crème pâtissière.
Almond crème pâtissière:
- Whisk together egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy.
- Sift in flour and ground almonds and mix well.
- Bring milk and vanilla to a boil and strain over yolk/flour/almond mixture, stirring constantly.
- Pour back into clean saucepan and bring to a boil again, stirring continuously. Boil for two minutes.
- Put on the side to cool.
Put the cake together:
- Preheat oven at 350 degree F.
- Roll out half of the almond pastry into a 10 inch tart ring.
- Spread the jam over the pastry, then cover with the almond crème pâtissière.
- Brush the edge with the beaten egg.
- Roll out the remaining pastry and place on top of the pie.
- Press around the edge to seal the top pastry to the bottom one. Trim the edge.
- Brush top with remaining beaten egg and score a crisscross pattern with a knife.
- Bake for forty minutes or until top is golden brown.
- Serve hot, warm or cold.