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!

Sometimes You Just Can't Help but Feel Down

But instead of feeling down think up! I am sick of this feeling of sadness in my cranium so what would any well intentioned baker with inspiration do? Get in the damn kitchen! The last few days have been filled with kitchen deliciousness, and tummy aches, stupid bowels! So useless! But anywhocaresaboutmyconstipation! Lets start with that lovely day of the week us down here on Earth call Saturday!

Well I started with work and what a fun time that was! Oh I am so kidding teehaha! Oh I made nothing of interest there so we will just go ahead and skip over that and pretend I woke up at 7:30 rather than 3:30...oh I feel so refreshed already! SO waking up bright eyed and bushy tailed I planted myself in the kitchen with the sun shining in and started whipping up some tasty chocolate heath muffins for my darling husband Timeteo. Oh a recipe? Well shucks why didn't ya just ask!
Pams Muffins of Love with any additions you please...I'm just giving you the plain recipe that you can tweak as you please.


Tim loved them! I didn't eat any:0( oh well! I didn't have time to anyways because I had to shuffle off to make pierogis at my buddy Katie's house with her lovely famila! I've been making them now for three years with Katie's peeps and Tim's family, isn't that cute? People invite the baker to join in their yearly traditions to make the dough! It sure is fun to sit surrounded by scrumptious delights and not be able to eat them! I sure love that torture! Well anywhoot, pierogis are super to make so heres the recipe we used!

2c AP flour
1/2t salt
2 eggs
1/3c water

Mix that lovely stuff up and cover with a hot towel for ten minutes then make some filling and roll out to a level 3 on a pasta roller and cut circle to the size you want. Fill, fold and pinch! Freeze, boil, eat!

Saturday's culinary escapades weren't over there, no siree bob! My brother in law and sister in law were coming over for dinner and to make gingerbread cookies! YAY! It was super fun and we had some fun fun times! I must warn the photo contains photos of a vulgar nature due to our incessant denial of growing up.
The recipe I used was very spicy and delicious! So here it it!
3 c AP flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 tn baking soda
1/4 tn salt
1 T ground ginger
1 3/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
6 T unsalted butter
3/4 c light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c blackstrap molasses plus 2 T
2 t vanilla
1 t orange zest

My directions are horrible and uninformative

Cream butter and sugahhh, add egg, add molasses and vanilla, add zest and dry crap until dough forms. divide in two discs, refrigerate for two to eight hours. 375 degree oven. roll out cut shapes bake for eight minutes, slightly under baked, take out cool and decorate, WIN!

OH MAN THESE COOKIES ARE TASTY!

I also cooked them a tasty meal of lemon dill panko crusted salmon with steamed green beans and butternut squash. RECIPE NOT INCLUDED!

After of yummotastic time we had some fun time shenanigans pictures included..right now!





Last photo added for pure hilarity, thats Tim and I on our wedding day. My goodness we are a sexy couple.

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

It was so rainy as mentioned in previous post so we went to the flea market! So fun:0) We found a beautiful refinished antique vanity that we are going to buy if it's still there next Sunday! I love the flea market it is filled with the craziest but friendliest nut jobs in Holyoke. I ended up buying about $1000 dollars worth of crap, in my head that is, and walked away spending only five dollars on two dvds. The Wedding Singer (one of my favorite movies) and Love Actually a lovely Christmas classic.

We had a bunch of leftover lemon dill panko from the night before so we got creative for dinner. We made Fried Crab Balls...I'm working on the name but just work with me here. Oh man they were, and still are amazing. I made up this recipe and wrote it down asap because I when I open my restaurant (and I will) this item must be on the menu! So here is my balls.
Oh immaturity how I love thee.

8 oz. neufchatel cheese (pronounced in Pam, new-fun-chill) Incorrect is my middle name...after Danger that is;0)
One can on lump crab meat
One can of the shredded crab junk...actual name
1T chopped fresh(funky) dill
1t sherry vinegar
one egg
salt and pepper to your personal liking
mix all that love together and make delicious crab ball babies
I used a small ice cream scoop then froze them for an hour to insure they would explode when I fried them.

Prepare for your fry station
ONE PLATE OF FLOUR FOR ROLLING YOUR BALLS IN
AN EGG WASH OF EGGS THAT HAVE BEEN BEATEN DOMESTICALLY...I USED FOUR
A BOWL OF PANKO, THE ZEST OF ONE LEMON, SALT AND PEPPER

Preheat your fryer, assuming you have one of course to 375
after your balls are nice, cold take them and do this order for ultimate frying success. roll in flour, then egg, then flour, then egg, then firmly roll in panko love. Then they are ready for frying. Mine took about 5 minutes until golden, amazing, and delicious.
I ensure you that they are tasty!

So now I leave you with a mouth that hopefully is salivating and inspiration to get into your kitchens and rock out!

Love peace and fryer grease!!!

Cream Puffs Yo!

SO how is everyones Friday going? Mines aight, I'm cooking up some vegtastic egg rolls that are going to be phenomenal. But we are not here to talk about that, no my friends we are here to talk about a very serious thing.....team Jacob or team Edward? I'm actually team Charlie but you know thats just me....wait what? OH! You wanted to hear about cream puffs I gotcha, my bad.

A brief history of Cream Puffs with the knowledge in my head and the odd language I use: The CP is made with a pastry called Pate a Choux which in French means "little cabbage" this being because they kinda look like cabbages when done correctly! Slap a smile on those puppies and sell them to children and call them dolls! SO anyways the first estimated time Pate a Choux was known to have been made dates back to 1538 give or take some years. They are known to be used more savory back old school days being not very sweet at all. Although they are just fat éclairs they tend to get more attention, I haven't a clue why but yes even here locally The Big-E giant cream puff has garnered national attention being known as "the best" well haha I think I may have stumbled upon a gem of a cream puff today.

I am not a cream puff or éclair fan, I didn't like the pastry ir was flavorless and not pleasing texture wise on the palette, and that god awful fake chocolate glaze that most places use to cover it was so gross! I gave up on them years ago...until now! I found a formula that needs no tweaking and yeilds an amazing thing!! It has flavor, it's a hardier shell that stands up better to fillings and baked so good in a larger size! I know I am a food nerd and get excited about the silliest thing but this was magical. The aroma that filled the kitchen was not one I was used to when baking Pate a Choux, it made me salivate:) A sure way of knowing I made something awesome, Mark(Boss man) ate one, unfilled, he never eats baked goods! I know odd him being a pastry chef and all. The pastry cream I made was a chocolate and then I turned it into a diplomat just to lighten it up because the cream puff was so gargantuan.

Enough making you wait I shall now bestow upon your eye sockets a thing of beauty!

Amazing Choux Paste

1/2 Cup AP Flour
1/2t. Sugar
1/4t salt
4T Unsalted Butter
1/2C Water
2 eggs

1 Egg
1/8t Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Sift together the flour, salt, sugar set aside

Mix one egg and salt set aside

In a sturdy metal pot bring the butter and water to a boil for faux emulsion, as soon as a boil is reached dump in flour mixture then stir quickly with a wooden spoon until a ball of dough forms and pulls away from pot. Transfer to mixing bowl and beat until warm not hot. When it reaches a more manageable temp add eggs one at a time and mix until dough comes together. Scoop of pipe any size, they bake well in muffin pans, brush with egg wash then bake for 15 minutes then turn oven down 350 and bake another 30-40 minutes. They will be golden brown and have no shininess.

So simple and awesome! Now you can fill them any which way you please but I'll give my chocolate pastry cream formula.

Chocolate Pastry Cream awesomeness!

16oz Milk
2oz Sugar

2 Yolks
1 Egg
1.25oz Corn Starch
2oz Sugar

1oz Butter
2t Vanilla
2oz chopped chocolate


In a heavy saucepan heat milk and sugar to just a boil

Whip eggs then sift in corn starch and sugar

Temper egg mixture by slowly beating in hot milk mix

return mix to saucepan and stir constantly until it boils and thickens, remove from heat

stir in butter, chocolate and vanilla pour into clean pan cover with plastic wrap make sure it touches the cream to prevent a skin from forming. put in fridge and cool.

for diplomat whip up 2 cups of whipping cream slightly sweeten then fold into cooled mixture.

Fill your puffs and viola!

I most certainly hope you enjoy these if you make them and I'm going to eat my rolls of the egg because they are done and delicious!!

Peace out