Boston Cream Pie

After 7 years in Boston and not having a Boston Cream Pie I thought it time to make one. I used a recipe from the Joy of Baking and all in all it came out pretty darn good. There is even a really great back story of the Boston Cream Pie on the site. This recipe is defiantly a success in my book. The only drawback to this recipe was the pastry cream, it was a little too stiff for my taste. Don't get me wrong it was very tasty and pretty easy to make. I would use it again, well at least until I figure out one that I like more. Below is the recipe from Joy of Baking with a couple of my own notes.

Pastry Cream:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large egg yolks

1/8 cup (20 grams) all-purpose flour

Scant 3 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sponge Cake:

5 large eggs

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (60 grams) plain cake flour (not self-rising)

1/4 cup (35 grams) all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Chocolate Glaze:

4 ounces (120 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

(If you are planning on doing this recipe in one day and make your time as efficient as possible do the first step of separating the eggs for the cake first then do the pastry cream and then move back to the cake. This will save you a lot of time just waiting around)

Pastry Cream: In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks. (Do not let this mixture sit too long or you will get pieces of egg forming.) Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil over medium heat. (Watch carefully and remove from heat just as the milk starts to foam up.) Pour the milk slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (If you get a few pieces of egg (curdling) in the mixture, pour through a strainer.)

Place the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, continue to whisk constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes thick.

(The first try on this part I kept it on the heat and it did not come out too well, the second time i removed it from the heat the second i noticed it thickening and whisked for 30-60 seconds. The thickening seemed to be the only indication of boiling.)

Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Let the cream cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Sponge Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and line the bottoms of two - 8 inch (23 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.

While the eggs are still cold separate three of the eggs, placing the yolks in one large mixing bowl and the whites in another bowl. To the yolks, add the two remaining eggs. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place the milk and butter in a small saucepan, over low heat, and warm until the butter melts. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

In your electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the whole eggs and yolks and 6 tablespoons (75 grams) of the sugar on high speed for about five minutes, or until they are thick, fluffy and light colored (when you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in a slow ribbon). Beat in the vanilla extract.

In another clean mixing bowl, with the whisk attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the egg whites and cream of tartar, at low speed, until foamy. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until soft, moist peaks form. Gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then add the rest of the whites folding just until incorporated. Sift half of the flour mixture over the top of the batter and gently fold through with a rubber spatula or whisk. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and fold in. Do not over mix.

Make a well on one side of the batter and pour the melted butter/milk mixture into the bowl. Gently but thoroughly fold the butter mixture into the batter. Do not over mix.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans, smoothing the tops, and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until light brown and springy to the touch. (A toothpick inserted in the middle will come out clean.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Immediately run a spatula or sharp knife around the inside of the pans and then invert the cakes onto a wire rack. Remove parchment paper and re-invert. Cool completely.

When the cakes have cooled and you are ready to assemble the Boston Cream Pie, make the Chocolate Glaze

Glaze: Place the chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Bring the cream and butter just to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a 3-5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Set aside for a few minutes until it has thickened to pouring consistency.

(using a good chocolate is key to this, it really does make a difference)

To Assemble: Place one cake layer on your serving plate bottom side facing up. Spoon the pastry cream onto the cake, spreading to make an even layer. Place the second cake layer (bottom side up) onto the filling. Pour the glaze onto the center of the cake and carefully spread the glaze, with an offset spatula to the edges of the cake, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Let the cake sit until the glaze sets, about one hour. Serve. This cake is best eaten the same day it is made. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Serves 8-10

Chips!! Chips!! Chips!!

After a long wait my favorite bar in Brookline has opened a specialty food and beer shop. Although it is still in the process of getting all of its stock on the shelves due to some town politics they have introduced me to "FoodShouldTasteGood" chips. These chips are not only an all natural chip but also a locally (to eastern Massachusetts) produced chip. I picked up a bag of the jalapeno chips and they are sinfully delectable. These chips have a great robust flavor with a mellow heat. The white corn chip is a sturdy chip that can hold up to any dip that you put in front of it. They even offer up a few suggestions on what will pair up with their chips. Even though they offer up possible accompaniments to the chips they are totally stand alone. I opened the bag and found myself hiding the bag because I could of eaten the whole bag if I didn't think about it. The company also makes an olive, multi grain, and chocolate. I haven't tried them yet but after having the jalapeno they are defiantly high on my list of things to try.

Boston Commons Trees?

So what is up with the Boston commons Trees? My desk looks out to the commons and more importantly to me the wonderful greenery of the Boston Commons. OK so not all of it looks that great. A few months back there was a guy who did his own black ops mission and planted a tree in the commons. At that time I really did not think about it to much but he may have had a really good point. He may have gone about it the wrong way but the the vision of Fredrick law Olmsted is in jeopardy. If you walk through the Commons there are numerous trees that are chopped up and look like a sad ghost of the the grandeur of the previous trees that were there. At what point do we start to look at the vision that was designed and rehabilitate it. I understand that people are trying to preserve the vision on Olmsted but the design that was set forth was a living sculpture. When Olmsted designed the space he was aware that he was working with living entities. He knew that some day the trees of the Commons would die. The city needs to start revitalizing the park, remove the blighted trees and replant. If we keep on waiting and hope for the best then there will be no rotation of youthful trees in the commons. I would personally like to see some new growth throughout the park at different times then all at one time. Maybe I am over reacting but when you walk in front of the State House and peer upon the wonderful gold dome all that I keep on seeing is massacred trees. It just makes me a little sad.

The Modern

This past weekend I was in New York City for the first time. Yea I know, how can I go through most of my life in the field of architecture and not make it to NY. Well, it only took 31 years but I finally did it. On the final day we went to the Bar Room at the Modern. It was amazing, but one thing to remember is not to forget your pocketbook. The menu is pricey but it is well worth it. The overall style of the space is very clean and simple as the name suggests. The architecture firm of Bentel and Bentel brought a touch of the Bauhaus to the states. We totally lucked out with this one because the main dining room is by reservation only but the bar room welcomes walk-ins. One day I will have to go back to experience the dining room that overlooks the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden.

We started our evening sitting down in the lounge space off to the side of the bar room. The Cor bu inspired lounge seating was an interesting choice for the space. It was definitely not a place you would stay a long time in but great for mingling and interacting with others in the room. The materials were simple large swatches of whites and blacks except for the enlarged photograph of a forest that brought in a sense of color and intrigue. The photograph is easily 10 feet high by 30 feet wide, suspended behind a layer of glass to give a sleek art installation feel. Fitting due to it being connected with MOMA.

We ordered our first drinks of the evening. My sisters came with a full rose blossom suspended mid glass in a bubbling efflorescence of rose smell (hence the name "coming up roses"). I ordered a play off of a dark and Stormy. This led us into the meal. Wow it was amazing. The Bar Room only serves appetizers and sized down entrees but in the long run I was completely satisfied with one appetizer and the sized down entree.

My first course was a chickpea and feta soup. The soup was so creamy and delectable that I will have to start playing around with the recipe. With the soup came a bun. The bun was also very tasty but it there was a disconnect between the bun and the soup. They were two great entities but they did not work too well together. The bun was buttery and flaky exterior but the heaviness of the bun did not compliment the soup at all. I don't take that as a failed dish but the opportunity to have two separate flavors on one dish. I would have the soup again in a heartbeat.

The second plate that i had was the Loup de Mer. This dish was perfectly cooked and served in a cast iron skillet. As i tried the vegetable that was cooked in the juices of the fish and cockles i was pleasantly surprised by a spice that I was not able to identify. After a little investigation from the serer I found out that the carrots had been pickled. The result was the sweetness of the carrot and the bite almost like a radish. It was great, the flavors crept into the fish and gave a balanced taste to the whole. The only thing that I was a little surprised about was the skin on the fish was left on, assuming to preserve the moistness of the fish which it did perfectly well. The unfortunate thing was that it was very fatty and seasoned very heavily. I was very surprised that it was left on or at least browned. This dish was defiantly not a failure either but if I decide to make it at home I will probably remove the skin or make it into a crispy treat. With the fish I had a bourbon drink that contained fresh basil that complimented the meal so well. We finished up the meal with an American style cappuccino which was a perfect ending to the wonderful meal that we had.

All in all it was defiantly one of the best meals that I had in a long time. I compliment you Gabriel Kreuther for putting together a meal that was simply amazing. I walked in expecting something good but soon found out that your skill as a chef is top notch. I would come back in a heartbeat, well as long as I didn't mind dropping a C note on a late lunch. It is one place that gives you the complete dining experience and if you are in NY I would highly recommend it.