Flourless Chocolate Cake with Crème Anglaise

     Whenever I eat a flourless chocolate cake with crème anglaise I'm reminded of a dessert my mother and aunt made often when I was growing up in the Amana Colonies.  A dense, bitter chocolate pudding was poured into a mold, and when set, it was released into a large bowl of sweet vanilla sauce.  I was always so happy when I saw it being prepared.  I loved it.  And many years later, when I was in Paris with my sister and daughter during October, the first time I had ever visited in the fall, I saw Gâteau au Chocolat avec Crème Anglaise on bistro chalkboards, everywhere.  One restaurant had a little table set up by the front window with pitchers full of the vanilla sauce alongside platters of chocolate cake.  You probably know what I had for dessert that night.
     I have baked many flourless chocolate cakes and this one has edged itself to the front of the line.  Double the recipe, below, for the Crème Anglaise if you want a generous dish of the vanilla sauce to accompany all of the chocolate cake slices ;-P

Flourless Chocolate Cake

+ a Martha Stewart recipe
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the cake pan
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons instant espresso powder, such as Medaglia d'Oro
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Cocoa powder for serving, optional
• Vanilla Fleur de Sel for serving, optional
1.  Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Line a 9-inch springform pan with a parchment round; butter parchment and sides of pan.  Melt butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth, in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water or in 15 second intervals in a microwave oven.
2.  Beat together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed, about 3 minutes; mixture should be thick and pale.  Add espresso powder and salt; beat until combined, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and melted-chocolate mixture; beat 1 minute longer.
3.  In another bowl, beat egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Increase speed to high; gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Stir about 1/2 cup into the chocolate mixture to lighten, then fold remaining egg whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions. Transfer batter to pan and bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Remove side of pan; transfer cake to a serving plate.  Dust with cocoa and a sprinkle of vanilla fleur de sel, if desired.

Crème Anglaise

+ recipe from French Tarts by Linda Dannenberg
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. In a large saucepan, whisk together the yolks and the sugar.  In another saucepan, heat the milk and the vanilla extract over medium heat until hot but not boiling.  Pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture, stirring constantly with a spoon.  Set over medium heat and stir constantly until the sauce thickens and coats the back of the spoon.  Do not let the sauce come to a boil or it will curdle.  Remove from the heat and place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.  Let cool, then refrigerate if not serving immediately. 
2.  Crème Anglaise is best served the day it is made, at room temperature, but if can be refrigerated for a couple of days and served chilled.

TAKE a LOOK: