No Bake Graham Cracker Cake

{printable recipe here}
I know it's Tuesday and I should have made Dorie's sour cream cake cookies (they look a little like whoopie pies to me) but it's just SO hot. I've only had my oven on once in the last week- I think that's some sort of record for me. I did make this graham cracker 'cake' of sorts for a family party. Strawberries were on sale at Sprouts for 77 cents a pound and a bought a whole flat for making jam. We ended up eating them instead (thank goodness my mom was responsible enough to make some jam and share!) and when it was time to make dessert for the party I instantly thought of strawberry shortcake. I pulled out a few cook books, looking for a recipe to match my ingredients and found the inspiration for this dessert instead from the Lion House Bakery.

The original recipe calls for instant pudding mixed with Cool Whip, layered up with graham crackers, and topped with pie filling. I'll be honest- Cool Whip totally creeps me out. Since I was going pretty semihomemade anyways, I made my own vanilla pudding (my slightly-lightened version of Dorie's pastry cream) and whipped cream. I combined those and layered it with the graham crackers and served it with strawberries. It was cool, smooth, and delicious and the next day it was even better- the crackers had softened and the final product was almost cake like, tasting of vanilla, cream, and strawberries (how bad can that be, right?) The best part is that the oven didn't have to heat my little house at all and this recipe is perfectly adaptable. You could use boxed pudding, try out chocolate, top it with whatever fruit's in season, and even use Cool Whip, you know, if you wanted. I'm sorry the cake is hard to see in the picture, but sometimes (you know, as often as I can), I put too many strawberries on top of things. And Baby Strawberry was yelling "More more more!" while I tried to snap a quick picture!

PS Amazon is offered $2 in free MP3 credit through the 30th- just enter CLOUDMP3 on this page and then check out their selection of $0.69 MP3's- this was a good excuse to get few chick songs myself!

Anne Strawberry's No Bake Graham Cracker 'Cake'
inspired by The Lion House Bakery
{printable recipe here}

1 pounds of strawberries
1/3- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, to taste
2 cups slightly-lightened vanilla pastry cream (or 1 small box instant pudding, prepared)- see recipe below
2 cups whipped cream (or Cool Whip, if you don't have weird food hang ups like I do)
1 box (three sleeves) HoneyMaid Graham Crackers (14.4 ounces)

Wash the strawberries and cut the tops off. Select the prettiest of the berries (about half) and slice from top to bottom (you could use this great tool here). Mash the rest of the strawberries with powdered sugar to desired sweetness and gently stir in strawberry slices. Refridgerate and save for garnish.

Gently fold together the pastry cream and whipped cream in a medium bowl. In a baking dish (I used a medium Pyrex, about 7 x 11, but this is flexible) lay out a layer of graham crackers. The amount will vary with the size of the dish you use, but I needed almost a whole sleeve per layer. Don't worry if some are broken- just patch them together to make the neatest layer you can and it will all meld together later.

Top graham crackers with 1/2 of the cream and spread it evenly using an off-set spatula. Add another layer of graham crackers. Top with the rest of the cream, spread it out, and top with the last of the graham crackers.

Refrigerate for 3-12 hours (I think the best timing would be to assemble in the morning if you want to serve with dinner, but you can make the cream and everything ahead of time to go with your schedule since layering everything will only take a couple minutes). Slice and serve topped with generous portions of fruit topping and enjoy your cool dessert (and cool kitchen!)

"Slightly Lighted" Pastry Cream
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

2 1/2 cups 2% milk
4 large egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature
Seeds from one vanilla bean (optional)

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream through a mesh sieve into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly, carefully set the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water and refrigerate, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

Whipped Cream Recipe
See Martha's for a detailed description how to make your own whipped cream using heavy cream if you haven't done it before (I would just tell you to dump it in the mixer, add a few shakes of powdered sugar and a little vanilla, and mix on high till it's pretty and delicious!)

My Favorite French Tart

{printable recipe here}
Oh man, French tarts are one of my very favorite foods of all time. Really. I knew this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe would be a perfect addition to our Mother's Day Dinner. Of course by the time I made the pastry cream I realized that I did not have enough eggs! So instead of the last two yolks I just used one whole egg. I also used 2% milk since that's what I had. At this point I figured I might as well keep on so I cut a little butter. The final product? Still totally delicious. You probably shouldn't really trust me, though, because I'd eat pastry cream all day long if I could. I have to say, though, that this tart was gone in give minutes. There just wasn't time to put the glaze on top because we were so excited to eat it. Thanks for the perfect recipe choice, Cristine (find the real recipe on her blog).

 

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day! I spoke in Church about my mom and motherhood and while I'm super glad it's done I appreciated the chance to think about how grateful I am to be a mother. Here's a side by side pick of my little man and Baby Strawberry (both 7 1/2 months, they sure look alike but wow there was a lot more of him to love if you know what I mean!)

One last thing... Will someone please tell my Tall Man to surprise me with this rectangular tart pan? Seriously? After reading everyone's tart posts I'm coveting one of these more than ever. I might even make him a rack of ribs in exchange- sound good?


My Favorite French Tart
by Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}

One fully baked 9 inch tart shell, recipe below
Half a batch of Vanilla bean pastry cream, recipe below
1 pound strawberries, washed, stems removed, and sliced in half (or fruit of any variety- this time I used 1 pound of strawberries, 3/4 cup blackberries, and 3 kiwis)
2 tablespoons strawberry jam
Powdered sugar, for serving

Line baked and cooled tart shell with the pastry cream, spreading evenly over the bottom of the shell. Arrange the strawberries in a pattern, squeezing in tightly.

Heat strawberry jam until warm and spreadable in the microwave or a small saucepan. Brush over strawberries to create a shiny topping. Slice and sprinkle each piece with a little powdered sugar (using a sieve) and serve.

Sweet Tart Dough with Nuts
From Baking by Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup ground nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc- just pulse in food processor with a little powdered sugar)
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 T) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Put the flour, nuts, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in- you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal fakes and others the size of peas. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses- about 10 seconds each- until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change- heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate and dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

To press the dough into the pan: butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, using all but one little piece of dough, which you should save in the refrigerator to patch any cracks after the crust is baked. Don’t be too heavy handed- press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferable longer, before baking.

To partially or fully bake the crust: center a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Butter the shiny side of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, against the crust. (since you froze it, you can bake it without weights). Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, carefully press it down with the back of a spoon. For partially baked crust, patch the crust if necessary, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack. To fully bake the crust, bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. Transfer pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.

"Slightly Lighted" Pastry Cream
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

2 1/2 cups 2% milk
4 large egg yolks
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature
Seeds from one vanilla bean (optional)

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly--as I always do--put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

Split Level Pudding and a giveaway!

Pudding is one of my all time favorite desserts (or breakfasts for that matter) so I was beyond happy when my baby consented to nap while I whipped up this quick treat. I'll admit I used to wonder what the point was in making pudding when the boxed stuff tastes so good. I really do still like Jello Vanilla Pudding. I've become a believer, though. It's also pretty simple to make this delicious pastry cream and gets quicker and easier every time. I skipped the food processor for the sake of dishes, opting for the sieve instead. It came out great and really, it's easy enough that you should try it. I'm guessing you have the ingredients on hand right now. And writing about the process is making me want to whip up some more. It's that delicious (and simple!)

This pudding is so good that I feel like calling it pudding isn't enough. It's more than a regular vanilla pudding- it has a surprise chocolate layer, it's silky smooth, and with a few changes, I don't even feel that bad eating it. I replaced the whole milk with 2 percent, used "cashew cream" in the ganache (a mixture of raw cashews and water, blended until it resembles heavy cream), and omitted part of the butter. You won't notice the changes but I think you'll enjoy this delicious and easy dessert- with less guilt. Even so, I did feel a little guilty eating the extra pudding for breakfast. But sometimes you need something quick, you know? And with my little red ramekin was staring at me from the fridge, I went for it.

So this brings me to the giveaway from MyBlogSpark. These Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters are delicious and come in a flavor everyone will like. My husband loves these and that's a pretty glowing review since he's a serious snacker. This prize includes all the flavors of nut clusters (the roasted peanut is my favorite) and a few other goodies (you can bet my son already grabbed that flashlight and is napping with it as I type this!) If you'd like to try these, you can grab a coupon here.

To enter, leave a comment letting me know what your favorite snack is- be it pudding or something else. I won't judge (and I could use some ideas- my hands are full a lot lately and my tall man's stomach is always rumbling!)

Giveaway will end Sunday night (10/11/09) at midnight, AZ time. I'll randomly choose one winner (US residents only for shipping purposes). Please make sure you're profile is linked to your blog or email or something so I can get a hold of you!

'Lighter' Split Level Pudding
adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan

For the chocolate layer:
2 ounces of bitter sweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream (or cashew cream, see below)

Bring the cream to a boil, pour over chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Stir gently to blend and divide mixture between the pudding cups. Set aside.

For the vanilla layer:
2 1/4 cups 2% milk
6 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter, cut into bits
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a glass measuring cup, boil the milk in the microwave. Meanwhile, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Whisk until combined. After the milk boils, slowly pour a small amount into the saucepan while whisking. Continue whisking and drizzle in the rest of the milk. Once thoroughly combined, place over medium heat and keep whisking until the pudding thickens and starts to bubble (two or three minutes).

Mix in the vanilla and then whisk in the butter. Scrape the pudding into a sieve and push through to catch any lumps, or pulse in the food processor if desired. Divide the pudding over the chocolate filled ramekins, cover with saran wrap, and refrigerate a couple hours (or enjoy warm- that's delicious too!)

Cashew Cream (adapted from Enlightened Cooking)
1/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup cold water

Place the nuts and cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for 2 minutes. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides. Blend at least 1-2 minutes longer until the mixture is smooth (mixture will be very thick; add 1-2 additional tablespoons water, if needed, to blend until smooth).

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a metal or glass bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and cool slightly. Stir in cashew cream until well-blended.

TWD- Chocolate Pudding

When I told a few people this week's "Dorie Treat" was chocolate pudding, they kind of looked at me with a blank stare, and I knew they were thinking, "Shouldn't it be some fancy French tart or elaborate cake or something?" Well, I'll admit I kind of thought that, too, but once I read Dorie's description on her blog and in the book I realized there is a little more to pudding. Then, after I went the week without sugar or any artificial sweeteners as a sort of dare, I was ready for pudding.

Also, I had a few days without my wonderful camera and I was missing it like crazy too! Pardon the pictures, but the pudding tasted great anyways. It was rich and so chocolaty. I needed lots of whipped cream to balance the deep chocolate, but I know lots of chocolate lovers who would have loved it straight from the cup. I might try making it swirled with vanilla next time... a little less rich but enough chocolate that you can still appreciate the amazing taste.

Since joining TWD, I burn through chocolate, butter, and eggs like they're going out of style. Seriously, though, I am continually amazed at the huge variety of things you can make with those basic ingredients. So even though pudding seems less dramatic than some of the other things we have made, it's no less delicious or impressive (I'm always shocked and amazed when the pudding thickens almost instantly!)

Now, this is what Dorie says, about pudding-

"for many of us, I'm sure - the sweetness of pudding begins even before the first spoonful because there's something serene, sensuous and satisfying in the act of just making pudding."


Now I know, after reading that, you are visualizing what kind of chocolate you have in your pantry. So go make it! You can find the recipe on Dorie's wonderful blog or at It's Melissa's Kitchen. Thanks for a great choice Melissa! I'll never look at boxed pudding the same again!

Chocolate Cream Pie

Since I made two batches of marshmallows, I've had six egg yolks staring me in the face everytime I opened the fridge. So I decided to make Dorie's Pastry Cream again and thought chocolate sounded perfect. She didn't have a "playing around" option for chocolate so I found my old cook book from my college class and she said to keep everything the same and add 1/3 cup of cocoa to the dry ingredients. I added an extra egg because the mixture was too thick at first. It ended up cooking up nice and thick and delicious. I think next time I will also increase the milk by a 1/2 a cup or so. This pudding was a little thick to eat plain so I made it into a chocolate cream pie (and immediately took it over to the neighbors, it was way too tasty!) Forgive the store bought graham crust- I have a one year old and no food processor, okay? :) Next time! I also think this would be amazing in cream puffs. Mmmm...

Chocolate Pastry Cream (Adapted from Baking by Dorie Greenspan)
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks (I used 7)
1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted (I hate sifting)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. (I skipped this step and just added it immediately after the vanilla) Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold.

Spoon the pudding into a graham cracker crust and serve with whipped cream enjoy.

TWD- Brioche Snails Redo

We had Easter at our house this weekend and the kitchen smelled so delish with all the good food cooking. I decided to make Brioche again because it turned out great last time and I figured doing it again right away would help me get the recipe down. I'm also not a flan fan so I opted to repeat last weeks challenge instead. :)

This week I made one whole batch of brioche and batches of pudding to make two flavors- Chocolate and Orange. For the chocolate rolls, I made the traditional pastry cream with vanilla and sprinkled mini chocolate chips over the pudding before rolling it up. I topped them with regular powdered sugar glaze. For the orange rolls, I made the citrus cream by steeping the milk with lemon and orange zest strips and adding some lemon extract. I also sprinkled orange zest on the dough before rolling it up. Then I made the glaze with orange juice instead of water and added orange zest to that. This time I used nearly a full recipe of the pastry cream per set of rolls so they were nice and creamy. They were so good, and so pretty!

Here is the pastry cream recipe again if you are looking for a tasty pudding or filling. I bet it would taste amazing in cream puffs and will post a recipe for those soon.

Pastry Cream (From Baking by Dorie Greenspan)
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly--as I always do--put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

Tuesdays with Dorie- Brioche Raisin Snails

Well this week was my first Tuesdays with Dorie challenge and I have to admit I wasn't very excited about it until I read the recipe and realized it was basically going to be a pudding filled cinnamon roll (but I have to say, the buttery light brioche was tastier than your average bread recipe!) I didn't have any raisins and I don't use alcohol so I just omitted them all together, though I think next time I will try the suggestion of using Craisins or dried blueberries. I did make a few rolls with mini chocolate chips inside and they were the closest thing to pain au chocolat I've had since Paris.

Based on what I read so far in the cookbook, I don't think Dorie is too keen on substitutions but they were delicious anyways and I'll try to be a little more faithful next time. The recipe is pretty in depth but the bread was so yummy and the end result was totally worth it. I made half of the dough into rolls and the other half into a Brioche loaf and both are totally gone already. :) The pastry filling/pudding was also great and I'll admit, baby and I just ate the leftover half after making the rolls! I used my handmixer on low to do the whisking since my wrists can't take all that continual whisking and it turned out just fine. Dorie recommends boiling it for a minute or two at the end but just like the last time a made a similar recipe, my pudding didn't quite follow the rules and thickened suddenly then was good to go. I would be sure to whisk diligently because the pudding has it's own timetable!

Brioche Raisin Snails
1 cup moist, plump raisins
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 recipe for Golden Brioche Loaves (see below), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating overnight)

1/2 recipe Pastry Cream (see below)

For The Optional Glaze (I didn't use this but they would have been prettier if I had!)
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
About 1 teaspoon water
Drop of pure vanilla extract

Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Put the raisins in a small saucepan, cover them with hot water and let them steep for about 4 minutes, until they are plumped. Drain the raisins, return them to the saucepan and, stirring constantly, warm them over low heat. When the raisins are very hot, pull the pan from the heat and pour over the rum. Standing back, ignite the rum. Stair until the flames go out, then cover and set aside. (The raisins and rum an be kept in a covered jar for up to 1 day.)

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

On a flour dusted surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 inches wide and 16 inches long, with a short end toward you. Spread the pastry cream across the dough, leaving 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Scatter the raisins over the pastry cream and sprinkle the raisins and cream with the cinnamon sugar. Starting wit the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it up to 2 months; see Storing for further instructions. Or, if you do not want to make the full recipe, use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder.)

With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends if they're ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into rounds a scant 1 inch thick. Put the snails on the lined baking sheet(s), leaving some puff space between them. (I used dental floss and it was easy and clean)

Lightly cover the snails with wax paper and set the baking sheet(s) in a warm place until the snails have doubles in volume--they'll be puffy and soft--about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Getting Ready To Bake: When the snails have almost fully risen, preheat the oven: depending on the number of baking sheets you have, either center a rack in the oven or position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the wax paper, and bake the snails for about 25 minutes (rotate the sheets if you're using two, from top to bottom and front to back after 15 minutes), or until they are puffed and richly browned. Using a metal spatula, transfer the snails onto a cooling rack.

If You Want To Glaze The Snails: Put a piece of wax paper under the rack of warm rolls to act as a drip catcher. Put the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and stir in a teaspoon of water. Keep adding water drop by drop until you have an icing that falls from the tip of a spoon. Add the vanilla extract, then drizzle the icing over the hot snails.


Golden Brioche Loaves
2 packets active dry yeast
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

For The Glaze
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

To Make The Brioche: Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans. Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.) Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.

Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes (mine took just over 20 minutes). Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

Pastry Cream
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk-- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are full incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold or, if you want to cool it quickly--as I always do--put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.