Pastel Vasco

I had a hard time remembering to photograph this treat--too busy eating it!

 I can't begin to tell you how I've longed for this cake. Years and years of waiting...

There is a bakery on a corner of the narrow streets in the old town of San Sebastian, Spain, near the marina. Go through the glass doors of this bakery. Admire the multitude of magnificent pastries in the glass display case. Look for the petite, palm-sized cake topped with sliced almonds and dusted with powdered sugar. Smile to yourself. Order the pastel vasco from the woman behind the counter. Wait impatiently as she boxes the cake and wraps in its black and white stripped paper--and even more impatiently as she ties the whole thing with a lovely bow.

Say, "eskerrik asko" to the woman who helped you. Make your way to the marina, climb up on the thick old stone wall and prepare to have your cake. (I hope you are hungry.) Admire the water in the bay, the boats bobbing near the docks, the white sand beach curving in the distance, the laughing children at the playground, the warm summer breeze, the sunset lighting the windows of the shops, hotels and apartments. Take a bite.

This might just be my idea of a perfect evening. Part of my love for pastel vasco comes from the cake itself, but part surely comes from the experience of eating it in a town I love. If you cannot make it to San Sebastian any time soon, this dessert will be a good start.

It is rich--we're talking pastry cream here-- but not heavy or cloying. The almond flavor is perfect--present, but not overwhelming. The crunch of the toasted almonds on top compliments the creamy smooth filling. It is as if an almond croissant decided to be a pie.

My husband and I are taking our honeymoon in Spain and Portugal this summer. We will be in San Sebastian for five days. Dangerously close to the source of the best pastel vasco in the world. I might end up eating one of these each night. But you only live once, right?

Pastel Vasco

~Print Recipe~

• 1 pie crust (there is a long version, but I'm giving you the short version)

Pastry cream

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 large eggs yolks
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Pie filling

• Pastry cream from above
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Start the pastry cream a day ahead. Bring the milk and 1/4 cup of the sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally until sugar dissolved.
2. Meanwhile: in a medium bowl, whisk the yolk to break them apart. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar to the yolks, then sift in the remaining flour. Whisk to combine.
3. Whisk about a third of the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture to temper the yolks. Add the yolk mixture into the milk, whisking constantly until the cream thickens and returns to a boil. Continue whisking for an additional 15 seconds while the cream boils.
4. Scrape the pastry cream into a glass or stainless steal bowl. Press plastic wrap to the surface of the cream and refrigerate until it has cooled completely, or over night.
5. When you are ready to bake the pie, set a rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thickly butter a 9 or 10 inch pie pan and set aside.
6. To complete the filling, whisk the eggs with the almond meal and almond extract in a medium bowl. Add the pastry cream and carefully stir with a spatula to combine. (Do not whisk.)
7. Press the pie dough into the prepared pan. Add the filling. Top with a thick layer of sliced almonds. Bake pie until crust is a deep golden color, about 45 to 55 minutes.
8. Cool pie in pan on a rack. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve at room temperature.