Boston Creme Waffles

Custard*

2 C milk
1 C sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 C flour
1 Tbs butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Put the milk on to boil. In a mixing bowl, gradually beat sugar into egg yolks and continue beating 2- minutes until the mixture is pale yellow and forms the ribbon (Julia Child's definition of forming the ribbon: "The mixture will turn pale creamy yellow and thicken enough so that when a bit is lifted in the beater, it will fall back into the bowl forming a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface of the mixture."). Beat in the flour. Beating the egg mixture constantly, gradually add the boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets. Pour into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir with a whisk constantly, making sure not to let any flour scorch on the bottom. When it begins to boil, lower the temperature and let boil 2-3 minutes. (I found that the custard on the bottom of the pan got VERY thick at this point, a giant lump almost, and stirred like a mad woman to keep it from sticking. It was worth it though.) Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla.

At this point, you can do two different things - use the custard as it is, a thick pudding-like creme, OR you can beat the left-over egg whites with a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sugar until stiff peaks form and fold them into the hot custard for a lighter, fluffy topping. This is what is pictured here, but I want to try using the thick custard next time.


For the chocolate sauce, use 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate and 1/2 C heavy cream. Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth. Allow to stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over your favorite waffles.


* Based on the recipe Creme Pastissiere by Julia Child, Vol. I Mastering the Art of French Cooking.