Pannequets à la Crème

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1-quart (1-liter) heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Balloon whisk
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Shallow dish for chilling the cream
• •Small offset spatula
• •Sharp thin-bladed knife
• •Rimmed metal baking sheet
• •Clean linen napkin and oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the frangipane

   Bring the milk, cream, and vanilla just to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Whisk the yolks, granulated sugar, salt, and flour in a bowl until smooth and slightly pale, then pour in one-third of the hot dairy while whisking constantly. Whisk this mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, never stopping, until the cream thickens and the first slow bubbles break through. Continue for one minute so the flour cooks completely. If small lumps appear, take the pan off the heat, whisk hard, and pass the cream through a fine sieve before continuing.

   Keep the whisk in the corners of the saucepan. That is where pastry creams catch first, and one scorched corner can flavor the whole batch.
2. 2

   Finish and chill

   Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the almond flour, followed by the butter one piece at a time, until the crème frangipane is smooth, glossy, and thick enough to hold the trail of the whisk. Scrape it into a shallow dish, press parchment directly against its surface, and refrigerate for at least one hour. It must be cold and firm before rolling. If the chilled cream still flows from a spoon, return it to the saucepan, whisk at a low simmer for another minute, and chill it again. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Fill the pancakes

   Lay out the 8 very thin pancakes prepared according to Pannequets with Jam (No. 2476), stopping before the jam is added. Spread each with an even layer of cold frangipane, leaving a narrow bare border, then strew the cream with crushed almond macaroons. Roll each pancake into a close cylinder without squeezing the filling toward the ends. If a pancake has stiffened and threatens to crack, cover the stack with a barely damp towel for five minutes before rolling.

4. 4

   Cut the lozenges

   Trim both ends of every roll on the same diagonal, then cut through the center at a matching angle to make two lozenges from each roll. Use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts so the almond cream stays inside rather than dragging across the crêpe. Arrange the 16 lozenges seam-side down on a parchment-lined metal sheet, leaving a little room between them. Chill for fifteen minutes if the kitchen is warm.

5. 5

   Glaze under fierce heat

   Heat the broiler fully for ten minutes and position a rack about 4 inches (10 cm) below it. Sift a thin, complete coat of icing sugar over the pannequets and broil for 45 to 90 seconds, watching without interruption, until the sugar melts to a clear gloss and freckles amber. Rotate the tray the moment one side colors faster. If the first coat melts into damp patches without glazing, pull out the tray, add one more light dusting, and return it for twenty seconds.

6. 6

   Dish on the napkin

   Let the glaze settle for one minute, then arrange the pannequets on a clean folded linen napkin set over an oval platter. Serve at once, while the crêpe edges are lightly crisp, the sugar is glossy, and the center remains cool enough to hold. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use crisp French almond macaroons, macarons secs, if you can find them. Plain amaretti are the honest home equivalent because they are also dry almond biscuits and crush cleanly. Coconut macaroons belong to another preparation.
• •The pancakes must be very thin and flexible. A thick pancake resists the roll, overwhelms the filling, and cannot be trimmed into a graceful lozenge.
• •Use real unsalted butter and full-fat cream. They give the frangipane the body to set smoothly and soften cleanly beneath the glaze. We don't apologize for butter.
• •Glaze on metal, not glass or delicate ceramic. The broiler must be fierce, and metal carries the sugar quickly from powder to amber without asking the chilled filling to spend long in the oven.

Advance Preparation

• •The crème frangipane can be cooked up to two days ahead. Press parchment directly against its surface and keep it cold, then stir it briefly before spreading.
• •The plain pancakes from Pannequets with Jam (No. 2476) can be prepared one day ahead, stacked between sheets of parchment, wrapped well, and refrigerated.
• •The pannequets may be filled, rolled, and cut up to six hours before serving. Keep them covered and cold, then add the icing sugar and glaze only when the table is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)