Recipes calling for egg yolks

Butterscotch budino with caramel sauce

Total time: About 45 minutes

Servings: 10

Note: From Nancy Silverton and pastry chef Dahlia Narvaez of Pizzeria Mozza.

Butterscotch budino

3 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 egg

3 egg yolks

5 tablespoons cornstarch

5 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum

1. In a large bowl, combine the cream and milk and set aside.

2. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine the brown sugar, one-half cup water and salt over medium-high heat. Cook to a smoking, dark caramel, about 10 to 12 minutes. Sugar will smell caramelized and nutty and turn a deep brown.

3. Immediately whisk the cream mixture carefully into the caramel to stop the cooking (the mixture will steam and the sugar will seize). Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks and cornstarch. Temper the hot caramel cream into the egg mixture by adding a cupful of caramel at a time, whisking constantly, until half is incorporated. Pour the egg mixture back into remaining caramel, stirring constantly with a whisk until the custard is very thick and the corn starch is cooked out, about 2 minutes.

5. Remove the custard from the heat and whisk in the butter and rum.

6. Pass the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps and divide among 10 (6-ounce) ramekins leaving one-half inch at the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours or up to three days.

Caramel sauce and assembly

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/8 vanilla bean, scraped

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons fleur de sel

1/4 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup creme fraiche

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla over medium heat, until simmering, about three minutes. Add the butter, turn off the heat and set aside.

2. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the corn syrup and sugar. Add enough water to make a wet sandy texture, about one-fourth cup. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the pan just slightly to gauge the caramelization, until the sugar becomes a medium amber color, about 10 minutes.

3. Remove the caramel from heat, carefully whisk the cream mixture into the caramel (be very careful -- it will steam and bubble). Whisk to combine. Place the pan in a large bowl of ice water to cool.

4. In a chilled bowl with a wire whisk, beat the whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Add the creme fraiche; whip until thick and fluffy.

5. Before serving, warm the sauce over medium heat. Spoon one tablespoon on each budino, sprinkle with one-eighth teaspoon fleur de sel and add a dollop of cream topping.

Each serving with 1 tablespoon cream topping: 549 calories; 4 grams protein; 42 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 41 grams fat; 25 grams saturated fat; 209 mg. cholesterol; 510 mg. sodium.

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Creme anglaise

Total time: 15 minutes, plus infusing and cooling time

Servings: Makes 2 cups

2 cups whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean

5 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk and drop in the bean. Heat over medium heat until just simmering (do not boil), about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let steep half an hour. Reheat the infused milk over medium heat until almost simmering, about 3 minutes.

2. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then temper the mixture by pouring half of the hot milk into the egg-and-sugar mixture and whisking, then pouring this back into the rest of the hot milk.

3. Stir the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, as it can curdle easily.

4. Strain the custard through a sieve into a bowl and immediately place it in an ice bath, stirring until it begins to cool. Keep the bowl in the ice bath until the custard is completely cool. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until needed.

Each tablespoon: 25 calories; 1 gram protein; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 1 gram fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 34 mg. cholesterol; 7 mg. sodium.

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Hazelnut creme anglaise

Total time: 30 minutes, plus cooling time

Servings: Makes 2 cups

1/2 cup hazelnuts (blanched or unblanched)

2 cups whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean

5 large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and golden, watching so that they don’t burn, about 10 minutes. With the back of a saute pan, break the nuts apart and set aside.

2. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the milk, and drop in the bean. Add the hazelnuts. Heat until just simmering (do not boil), about 4 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover and let steep half an hour. Reheat the infused milk over medium heat until almost simmering, about 3 minutes.

3. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, then temper the mixture by pouring half of the hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture and whisking, then pouring this back into the rest of the hot milk.

4. Stir the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

5. Strain the custard through a sieve into a bowl (discard the hazelnuts) and immediately cool in an ice bath. Refrigerate, with a bit of plastic wrap over the top to prevent a skin forming, until needed.

Each tablespoon: 25 calories; 1 gram protein; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 1 gram fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 34 mg. cholesterol; 7 mg. sodium.

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Coffee toffee ice cream sandwiches

Total time: About 2 hours, 40 minutes, plus freezing time

Servings: 10

Note: From Bret Thompson and Richard Yoshimura at Milk. This recipe will make slightly more toffee and ice cream than called for in the recipe. The toffee will store for two days covered loosely with parchment or wax paper in a cool, dry place.

Toffee

2 cups sugar

1/8 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/8 cup almond meal

1. Place the sugar, corn syrup and one-half cup water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Use a candy thermometer to watch the temperature and cook to 280 degrees, then carefully add the butter.

2. Bring the temperature to 330 degrees or until the mixture is amber. Remove from the heat and add the salt, vanilla extract and almond meal. Immediately pour onto a parchment-lined shallow pan to cool and set.

Coffee ice cream

3 cups whole milk

3 cups cream

1 cup sugar, divided

8 egg yolks

1 ounce (about 6 tablespoons) coarse-ground coffee beans

7 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) chopped toffee

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, cream, half the sugar and the ground coffee to a boil.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine the egg yolks and the remaining half cup of sugar and slowly -- so as not to cook the eggs -- pour it into the hot cream mixture.

3. Reduce the heat to low and stir until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes. Strain the mixture quickly and chill in an ice bath, about 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Remove from the machine and stir in the chopped toffee. Place the ice cream in a container with a lid, cover the surface of the ice cream with plastic wrap, cover tightly with the lid and freeze (several hours to overnight) to harden.

Coffee macarons and assembly

4 large egg whites, divided

2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups almond flour

1 1/4 teaspoons instant coffee

1 1/8 cups granulated sugar

1. Mix 2 egg whites with the powdered sugar, almond flour and instant coffee and set aside.

2. Bring the granulated sugar and one-fourth cup water to a boil and, using a thermometer to monitor the temperature, cook until 240 to 248 degrees. Just before the sugar reaches temperature, begin beating the 2 remaining egg whites with a mixer. When the sugar syrup reaches temperature, turn the mixer on high and slowly add the syrup to the egg whites in a thin stream. Beat until the egg whites are firm and glossy.

3. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Fold the meringue into the almond mix. Place macaron batter into a large pastry bag with a wide, straight opening.

4. With a marker, draw 2 1/2 -inch circles onto parchment paper cut to the size of your cookie sheet (you should be able to draw 4 to 6 circles per pan, with about 1 1/2 inches between each circle). Place the parchment face-down on the cookie sheet. Pipe the batter onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Shake the pan and tap lightly on the counter top until the meringue settles to about 3 1/4 inches in diameter, and let them sit 12 to 14 minutes to form a “skin” (the surface will have lost its sheen).

5. Bake about 10 minutes, until solid on the outside but still chewy in the center. Place cookies on a rack to cool. To store, leave on a rack in a cool, dry place for up to two days.

6. For ice cream sandwiches, place about half a cup ice cream between two macarons and press gently together.

Each serving: 715 calories; 9 grams protein; 99 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 34 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 153 mg. cholesterol; 145 mg. sodium.

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Butter lettuce with Parmigiano dressing and polenta croutons

Total time: About 1 1/2 hours, plus chilling time for the polenta

Servings: 4

Note: From Vincenti Ristorante. This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups dressing, more than is needed for the four salads. The extra dressing will keep in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 1 week. This also makes slightly more polenta croutons than is called for in the recipe.

Polenta croutons

1 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 ounces dry polenta or corn meal (a generous 3/4 cup)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Canola oil for frying

1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, then add salt and whisk in polenta in a steady stream. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a whisk to avoid lumps and until the polenta is thickened. Add the olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano and whisk to incorporate. Remove the pan from heat.

2. Pour the polenta onto a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides. Using a spatula, smooth the polenta to an even height of one-half inch. Refrigerate, uncovered, until set, about 45 minutes. Remove the chilled polenta from the pan and cut into one-half-inch cubes.

3. Fill a large saute pan with enough canola oil to cover the bottom by 1 1/2 inches. Heat the oil over high heat until a thermometer inserted reads 375 degrees. Adjust the heat to maintain this temperature. Fry a few croutons at a time, leaving enough space so they do not stick together. Be careful that the croutons do not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Fry the croutons until golden, about 2 minutes, then remove and set them on paper towels to drain.

Parmigiano dressing

1 cup best-quality olive oil, divided

2 anchovy fillets, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon Pecorino Romano

2 tablespoons plus 3/4 teaspoon Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small saute pan set over medium heat. Add the anchovies and garlic and cook until the garlic is aromatic, less than 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.

2. In a blender or food processor, blend the egg yolks. Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil. When all is well incorporated, add the garlic and anchovies, the cheeses and mustard and blend well. Lastly add the lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Salad assembly

2 to 3 heads butter lettuce

1/4 cup Parmigiano dressing

Wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano

24 polenta croutons

1. Remove the outer leaves from the lettuce heads. Tear the remaining leaves into bite-sized pieces and wash in cold water. Drain and spin dry. Place the lettuce in a large bowl; you should have about 8 cups salad.

2. Dress the salad with the dressing, and toss to evenly coat. Divide among four chilled plates. Use a vegetable peeler to shave a few strips of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each salad. Place one crouton on top of the cheese in the center of each salad, and evenly distribute the remainder of the croutons among the salads. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 317 calories; 4 grams protein; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 25 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 26 mg. cholesterol; 596 mg. sodium.