Confused Cakes: The Boston Cream Pie Edition

I'll take a slice of his pie...cake? Whatever dude's feckin' sexy


Hello all you food loving, sexy bitches! How art thou this fine winters morning? I'm glorious because there is a soft blanket of fluffy snow love covering the valley and it's fricken gorgeous! Until the slat and grime turns it to brown and the streets look like every hobo, stray cat and drunk a-hole forgot where the bathroom was. MOVING ON! Today we are here to discuss the importance of Boston Cream Pie in modern day society, along with it's effects on global warming and how we can reduce it's carbon foot print....hold on for a motha truckin second! Well that just makes no sense...my bad I mixed up Boston Cream Pie with my other blog about public global awareness and economic crisis, called The Naked Economist and Environmental Crusader...Oh wait I don't have a blog about public global awareness and economic crisis. Ha! I'm not smart enough for that! Ok I'm done lets move on.

How about some informative information on the historical history of this piecake. First and foremost you must know that as of 1996 this majestic dessert became a symbol of sweetness and freedom as the OFFICIAL DESSERT OF THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS!

Ok I realize Massachusetts is holding beans but deal with it

So yes the official dessert in Massachusetts, isn't that something? I'd be honored to be the OFFICIAL PAM OF MASSACHUSETTS...can we arrange that? I mean it is the finest state in the Union...I may be a touch partial due to the fact that I live here.

SO back in 1856 The Parker House Hotel in Boston (now the Omni Parker House Hotel) started serving a new dessert by a french Pastry Chef by the name of Sanzian. He started whipping up this fancy shamncy cakepie but it wasn't called Boston Cream Pie until 1879. This was also the year it was first published in a cookbook, Housekeeping in Old Virginia. Cooks in New England and Pennsylvania Dutch regions were known for their cakes and pies and the dividing line between them was very thin. This cake was probably called a pie because in the mid-nineteenth century, pie tins were more common than cake pans. The first versions might have been baked in pie tins. Boston Cream Pie is a remake of the early American "Pudding-cake pie."

And there you have it home diddlys thats you history lesson for the day. In all retrospect Boston Cream Pie may be one of the easiest desserts I've ever made, it does have multiple steps but it's very basic in the ingredients department. I think thats what draws me to it from a baking aspect it's simple elegance if done well, when I say that I mean if you google this you'll see a ton of pictures of cakes looking like they are falling apart with thin chocolate sauce running off the sides. And the recipes you find often call for cake mix and pudding, BLASPHEMY!!! The only reason cake mix gets used in this house is for dump cake, "Dump Cake blog!


RECIPE TIME!

PS I'LL HAVE A PHOTO OF MINE SOON! THIS SITE ISN'T LIKING iPHOTE RIGHT NOW!!

FECKIN' BOSTON CREAM PIE!

We shall start with the Pastry Cream because it needs to cool in the fridge before assembly.

PASTRY CREAM

Begin by steeping 1 1/4c of whole milk with the beans of one vanilla pod for 15 minutes, do that by just heating the milk and beans then shutting off the heat.

4 yolks
1/4c sugar
1/8c ap flour
3T corn starch

1. In a medium heat proof bowl whisk together the four ingredients to make a paste
2. After steeping bring milk up to just a simmer remove from heat
3. Slowly add the milk to the paste whisking constantly. SLOWLY to prevent curdling.
4. When all is mixed return to pot and place on medium high heat
5. Whisking vigorously cook the cream until thickened and smooth; transfer to a new container cover all the way down to surface of cream to prevent skin
Refrigerate

SPONGE CAKE
Preheat oven to 350F

5 eggs
3/4c sugar, divided
1/2t vanilla extract
3/4c flour
1t baking powder
1/4t salt
3T milk
2T unsalted butter
1/8t cream of tartar

1. Separate three eggs, add two remaining eggs to yolks. Bring up to room temp, about 30 min.
2. Mix together four, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. Melt the butter and milk together, keep warm, set aside
4. With a paddle attachment beat yolks with 6T of sugar on high speed for five minutes. They should be thick and fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract.
5. Transfer yolks into a new bowl and clean out the bowl they were in.
6. With a whisk attachment beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy then gradually add remaining sugar, beat until soft moist peaks form.
7. Fold a little of the whites into the yolk mix to lighten it, and then add the rest of the whites folding just until incorporated. GENTLY!! Sift half of the flour mix over the top of the batter and gently fold through with a rubber spatula. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and fold in. FECKIN' GENTLY! DON'T OVER MIX THIS!!
8. Pour batter into two eight inch pans lined with parchment.
9. Bake 15 minutes then immediate invert out of pans and remove parchment. Cool.

GANACHE pronounced Gun-AH-shhh

8oz chopped dark chocolate
8oz chopped heavy cream....what? Just 8oz of heavy cream haha

Bring cream it just a boil, pour over chocolate and mix until melted and smooth, set aside.

ASSEMBLING THE SEXY ASS CAKES!!!

Cut tops off the cakes then carefully and evenly divid the layers in half using a serrated knife. Fill each layer with cream then if you have the acetate wrap around the cake. Pour ganache over top and put in fridge to set up the ganache. Remove acetate and enjoy!!!!

There you have it! I most surely hope you enjoy it and if you want to me making it here watch this!



THANKS FOR CHIGGETY CHECKING MY BLOG OUT YOU SAUCY MINX YOU!

It is Cold, Rainy, and Yucky Outside...What to do?

Dreaming of Sunnier Days


So it's crapfest 2010 on this lovely Sunday in December and I am feeling adventurous....what would you do on a day like this?
I've decided to come up with some things that are cheap and fun! Just like me! hahaha nah I'm kidding!

-Write a quick script, shoot in one or two takes, edit, and laugh. Then post it to youtube....Oh and by the way my youtube is

-Scavenger Hunt, a silly one. I know that in my area we have so many awesome locations full of crazy people like me that would gladly help with a scavenger hunt.

-PAPER MACHÉ PROJECT

-Open the book of raw foods I refer to on a daily basis and pick of those crazy recipes you've been to afraid to try, go to whole foods buy the good stuff because S&S doesn't carry Braggs Liquid Aminos. Oh an example you ask? Sure here goes!
Ok so this doesn't need aminos but it still sounds scrumptious!
Hearty Corn Salad
3 portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/3c balsamic vinegar
1/3c Olive Oil, cold pressed
3T Maple Syrup...REAL STUFF not effing aunt jemima ain't got nothing on vermont
2T sliced scallions
1 bell pepper of any color...I'm an equal opportunity employer
1c grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 to 1/2 pound baby lettuce because babies are tastier
4 ears of fresh corn kernels cut from the cob

Marinate the mushies for an hour in the vinegar, oil and syrup...SET ASIDE FOR AN HOUR BITCHES!

Mix all that veggie love, minus lettuce, in a bowl. Put the babies on a plate, and top with the Veggie love and scoop of mushies. ENJOY!!!!!!

-Take your hyper indoor cat to an empty but closed warehouse and let him run free for a while to tucker him out


-Write up your escape plan then go to barnes and noble and research all of the beautiful destinations you can move to...if all conditions were perfect....then go get coffee and sulk because your broke.

-Make sweet sweet passionate love...free and good for your health!

-Make early morning cocktails and have a dance party in celebration of having a new computer and all of your music in one place! And finally using your iphones music holding capabilities

-Create a Blippy account and write reviews of purchases you've made on itunes or other platforms and feel special when someone thinks what you write is awesome.

-Go on rainy car hike....car hiking: the art of driving around in the scenic parts of your state and getting lost on purpose in hopes of finding new and interesting places.

-Create new words and post them on urban dictionary

So yea I think I will be hitting up some flea markets and taking a lovely car hike today to kill the cabin fever...and maybe go buy some cabin fever beer by berkshire brewing company because it's delicious and festive!

HAVE A LOVELY DAY!

And so it begins...

I'll fill you in with a little back round knowledge....
My name is Pam and I am a young chef in training, my main focus is on Pastry and Baking but my heart is in the entire kitchen. About 5 months ago, from beginning this blog, I began a raw food diet, I have had a hard time with it but have recently started back 100% and I am committed to it...but I still love cooking and baking!
I work full time as an assistant pastry chef, (damn I wish I was the head), and it is a fantastic place to work. I can experiment with new formulas that I find or fudge around with ingredients to see what becomes of it, so fun! I love the science behind baking and the flavor structure and textures of both aspects. I was trained at the former Connecticut Culinary Institute (now Lincoln), buy the amazing Chef Lynn Johnson. I wish I knew her information nowadays because she moved to Florida and I don't get a chance to stay in contact.
When it comes to raw eating I pretty much stick to the bare minimum...meaning I only eat fruits and veggies, salad, goat cheese!(love it!) and other random raw surprises I find along the way. If I had a few extra bucks I'd be trying the recipes I have in this friggen sweet book I have, The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalie Rose. Wicked awesome book! For the month and a half I was really hardcore I lost a good amount of weight* and felt flipping amazing! I had had bowel issues(I know TMI) and after that, none! In no way shape or form am I, or could ever be, a vegetarian! Its not for me, I'm not into it. (Sushis raw, does that count:) Though I will say this, I have a problem, an addiction if you will, no it's no chocolate(eff chocolate), or crack(sorry dad), it is bread.
The smell of yeast rising! The cell structure! The way it needs to live before becoming what it is! The tons of varieties and all the flavors! I am a sick sick woman because I ain't kidding you when I say I have two different kinds rising, getting all sorts of happy and sexy in the kitchen right now! I am a fiend. My love of bread began when as a child, I was more content then a cucumber to eat bread out at dinner than that incredible Veal Parmesan! At Thanksgiving forget that damn turkey, hand me a roll and the stuffing and I am all good. Bread is my drug, it soothes my stresses and slaps a silly little smile on my big face.
Oh snap, I can't wait til its done! SO, anywho my main purpose for this blog is a number of reasons but all in all I am trying to spread the good word about not just food but stuff in general! Since the stroke of midnight of 2010 it has been my goal to begin a new, more exciting, no holding back, life for myself and dagnabit if I haven't been kicking ass at that already! I will shortly be beginning a weekly food vlog on my youtube channel, in the vlog I will be going to and critiquing local restaurants and other random eateries, as well keeping with my regular vlogs about my silly little life. If you happen to have a soul or heart please go subscribe! SO along with my channel I will leave you with the links for the breads I am making right now. Peace out boy scouts! www.youtube.com/user/pdizzlerocks. http://blisstree.com/eat/homemade-kalamata-olive-bread/
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Syrian-Bread/Detail.aspx