Foodie Friday: Boston Cream Pie--it's not really a pie!

 

A few days before Thanksgiving my daughter had her 20^th birthday. She requested a Boston Cream Pie for her cake. I don’t like Boston Cream Pie. I’ve never made one. So, lazy ass that I am, I picked one up from a local bakery.

Wow, what a disappointment! We’ve had cakes from them in the past that have been wonderful, but it was a serious disappointment.

Boston Cream Pie is supposed to have a thick custard filling. The bought cake barely had a layer of filling. It had toasted coconut around the edge, but I’m guessing that was to disguise the fact there was virtually no cream filling.

So I decided to make it up to my kidlet and make her a Boston Cream Pie. I quickly downloaded a Martha Stewart recipe, fully expecting the recipe to follow Martha’s exacting standards.

Again, what a disappointment!

The recipe ingredients were out of order, didn’t make sense, and I had to reread the instructions numerous times to figure out what was to be done.

So to that end, this is MY interpretation of the recipe, along with my numerous Tips and Tricks at the end of the recipe.

Enjoy!

Boston Cream Pie

 

Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk

1 cup sugar, divided into ½ cups

2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Pinch of kosher salt

3 egg yolks

1 egg

2 ½ Tbls cornstarch

3 Tbls butter, cubed

 

Cake

 

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp baking power

½ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup milk

6 Tbls butter

 

Ganache

 

3 oz milk

4 oz. sweet chocolate, chopped

 

Pastry cream:

Dampen small cookie sheet, line with plastic wrap.

 In medium saucepan, combine milk, ½ cup sugar, vanilla paste and salt. Slowly bring to boil over medium heat.

 While milk mixture is heating, whisk together ½ cup sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl. Stabilize bowl on kitchen towel. Add yolks and egg. Whisk until mixture is homogenous and no lumps. Set aside.

 When milk mixture comes to a low boil, remove from heat. Add vanilla bean paste. Temper egg mixture in three additions, whisking briskly.

 *Tempering eggs: Add a small amount of hot liquid (small ladle) to the egg mixture, whisking after each addition. Once the egg mixture feels as warm as the rest of the milk mixture add it back to the original saucepan, whisking to combine.

 Whisk egg mixture over medium heat until it starts to thicken, about a minute. Whisk until thick, about two minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter.

 Pour custard through mesh sieve onto prepared cookie sheet. Spread to level. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill at least 2 hours.

 

Cake:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 9-inch round cake pan.

 Combine milk and butter in saucepan over low heat.

 Beat eggs and sugar until thick, and lightened in color, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Add milk and butter mixture, mix until smooth.

 Pour into prepared pan.

 Bake until cake is golden, about 35-40 minutes. Cool cake 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan, transfer to rack to cool.

 Assembling cake:

 Place cake on plate or stand. Using serrated knife, split cooled cake horizontally. Set top of cake aside. Spread bottom cake layer with Pastry Cream, spread to within ½ inch of outer edge. Place top half of cake onto custard layer.

 Ganache:

 Microwave cream for 30-45 seconds. Add chocolate, allowing about a minute to soften chocolate. Stir until smooth.

 Pour over assembled cake, smoothing to edge of cake and allowing a little to drip over edge.

 Serve.

 Refrigerate leftovers.

 Tips & Tricks

 

·         When I made the pastry cream, I didn’t have whole milk. I used ¾ cup of half and half and 1 ¼ cup of 2% milk.

·         Pastry cream can be prepared 1-3 days ahead of time. Instead of using cookie sheet, store in a covered container. Remember to cover the cream with plastic wrap prior to covering with an airtight lid. This will keep it from developing a ‘skin’. A thickened layer like you would have on pudding.

·         I used a small ladle to temper the eggs. If you don’t have a ladle, then you can pour a small amount of the milk mixture into the eggs while whisking. This might be a bit of a messy process.

·         While I used a mesh sieve to strain the custard onto the cookie sheet, it is a step that I added. I didn’t need it this time because I did a good job tempering. But if you add too much hot milk or don’t whisk quick enough, then you might have bits of cooked egg in your custard. This makes it grainy and less silky of a mouth feel.

·         I also used a piece of cut parchment in the cakepan. Butter under the parchment to adhere it to the pan, then butter on top of the parchment.

·         If you want to heat the cream for the ganache in a pan, feel free. I just decided to microwave it since it was already in a measuring cup and I was tired of washing dishes.

 

Enjoy!

Margaret

 

 

Dad's Favorite Chili v. 2.0

There are so many chili recipes out there. If you had 20 people make chili, you would have 20 very different types of chili, from bland to uber spicy, from vegan to a meatsa-meatsa fest, from beans to no beans.
Everyone has their own take on chili. This version is the current favorite in the Golla household.
Enjoy!

 

Dad’s Favorite Chili

 2.5 lbs. ground beef, 85% lean

1.5 lbs. Hot Italian sausage

¼ c. bacon crumbles

1 large onion, chopped

2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bottle Corona, 12 oz.

1 Tbls. Beef Better than Bouillon

4 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 15-oz cans spicy chili beans

1 6-oz can tomato paste

¼ cup chili powder

1Tbls. oregano

1Tbls. cumin

1Tbls. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. hot pepper sauce, (e.g. Tabasco)

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. sugar

 

Heat large stock pot over medium heat. Add beef and sausage, breaking apart while it cooks until brown. Drain excess grease.

Add rest of ingredients. Stir to blend.

Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Taste and adjust flavor. Add salt, pepper, chili powder, or nothing at all.

Do whatever floats your boat.

This is YOUR chili. Own it.

Tips & Tricks:

·         Use this recipe as a template. Adjust it to suit your family’s tastes.

·         This recipe makes A LOT OF CHILI. Half it, or freeze half after it cooks.

·         It’s good in a bowl with bacon sprinkled on top, then cheese. Or on Fritos.

FOODIE FRIDAY--Spaghetti Meat Sauce

This recipe originated from a Sunset Pasta cookbook--though it’s nothing like the original. 

Wine is used in this recipe, but don’t use wine you wouldn’t drink. And if you don’t drink wine, then omit it and use water instead.  I’ve cooked this so many times that the ONLY thing I actually measure is the salt.

If you use a different brand of tomatoes, you might need to experiment with the salt AND the sugar.  If the tomatoes are too acidic, more sugar might be needed.  Sausage varies in salt content also, so I might want to taste a cooked piece prior to adding the seasonings.

We tend to serve this thick meat sauce over basic thin spaghetti noodles, but I have also used this sauce as the meat layer in a lasagna recipe.  Serve with Caesar salad, a nice glass of red wine (hey--the bottle’s already open!) and a heated loaf of bread (neo-Tuscan boule or roasted garlic artisan loaf) to wipe up the sauce on your plate.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce

2 Tbls olive oil

1 med onion, chopped

2 med carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 lbs ground beef

1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1 can diced tomatoes (Hunts)

2 cans tomato sauce (Hunts)

½ cup dry red wine

2 tsp salt

1 Tbls sugar

¼ tsp pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper (cayenne)

1 tsp EACH dry rosemary, oregano leaves, and dry basil

1 bay leaf

½ lb sliced mushrooms

Heat oil in large stock pot (6-8 qt), until shimmery. Add and sauté vegetables for 3-4 minutes.  Add meat and cook until brown, breaking up sausage into large chunks, drain any liquid.  Add rest of ingredients EXCEPT mushrooms and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover and allow sauce to simmer for an hour.  Add mushrooms, and cook for 10 more minutes while salted water is heating for pasta.

Enjoy!

I simply don’t understand why people buy spaghetti sauce in a jar.  Oh, I know it’s convenient and all that but do you know how simple it is to make your own?  AND you know exactly what you put in it. I will confess that I wing this recipe, which means you add as much or as little of the seasonings as you like. Sometimes I add the thyme, basil, oregano and rosemary, while other times I don’t.

My daughter loves this stuff.  Sometimes she’ll eat the pasta plain and cover her Italian bread with it like bruschetta.

I also use this sauce, with a little tomato paste added to the leftovers, as pizza sauce.

I’m still hunting for a wonderful pizza dough recipe if you have one to share.

Margaret’s Marinara

2 cans 14.5-oz. diced tomatoes (Hunts)

2 cans 15-oz tomato sauce (Hunts)

Dried minced onion

Italian seasoning (McCormick)

Thyme

Basil

Oregano

Rosemary, crushed

Garlic powder, or minced garlic if you have it (mine is usually sprouting leaves so I have a fallback)

Salt

Pepper

Toss everything into a pot, heat over medium until bubbling. Using a hand blender, chop the tomatoes up.  If using nonstick, be careful not to scratch your cooking pot. Angle lid to allow steam to escape and keep napalm tomato blurps contained. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it thickens or starts to stick, turn off heat and remove lid to allow steam to escape.  

Pay your spouse to clean up tomato mess that will inevitably happen to your stove.

Enjoy!

I think I'm going to have a hard time getting online this week, so I'm preparing some yummy food for you.

Bon Appetit!

MAG

This was originally from a Weight Watcher’s cookbook, so the recipe has already been leaned up.  If pork isn't in your diet, try this with pounded chicken breasts or veal--just remember to adjust the cooking time! 

Serve with wild rice and a fresh green salad.

Braised Pork Chops

1 tsp. vegetable oil or cooking spray (PAM)

4 5-oz lean pork loin chops--thinly cut no more than ½ inch thick

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 medium onion, minced

½ cup chicken broth

¼ cup dry sherry

¼ tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crumbled

¼ tsp. cracked black pepper

½ cup nonfat cream cheese, softened

¼ cup skim milk

1) In medium nonstick skillet, heat oil, and add pork chops.  Cook over medium-high heat, turning once, about 2 minutes per side or until brown on both sides. Remove pork chops from skillet; set aside.

2) In same skillet, add mushrooms and onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 8-10 minutes until vegetables are golden brown. Stir in broth, sherry, rosemary and pepper.  Bring to liquid to boil.  Add browned pork chops; baste with liquid in skillet.  Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, basting occasionally with liquid in skillet, for 30 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through and very tender.

3) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese and milk and beat until smooth.

4) Stir cheese mixture into pork chop mixture; cook until just heated through (do not boil). Place pork chop on plates and top each portion with an equal amount of vegetable mixture.

FOODIE FRIDAY--Chicken Wellington

This recipe originally came from the cookbook, BEST OF THE BEST OF TEXAS. I love this recipe. It’s quick. It’s easy. And it looks spectacular when presented on a plate with a lovely green salad. My ten-year-old LOVES this recipe.

I’ll type the ‘official’ version, but will offer hints at the end to make it lighter in fat.

Chicken Wellington

I sheet puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm—freezer section) room temp

¼ cup butter

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (fat trimmed off)

½ (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese (Philadelphia Brand) room temp

Knorr Swiss Aromat seasoning for meat, to taste (sometimes hard to find—try a German food store if it isn’t in your normal grocery store)

Lemon Pepper, to taste

1. When puff pastry reaches room temperature, unfold it onto a floured surface, sprinkle top lightly with flour, and roll it out as flat as you can, but to where you can still handle the dough.  Cut dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. (works with three breasts, too)

2. Using medium heat, melt butter, add chicken breasts, and cook 5 minutes per side.

3. Place each breast in the center of a pastry square; put 2 tablespoons of cream cheese on top of each breast. (work quickly as the hot meat will soften pastry and cause it to rip)

4. Sprinkle to taste with Knorr seasoning for meat and lemon pepper. (I’m heavy handed with this step)

5. Pull the edges of the pastry square up and fold them over the breast to seal the breast inside the pastry, tuck edges under the pastry.

6. Brush top of pastry with melted butter, if desired.

7. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. May need to broil for a minute or so to brown the top.

To lighten the fat content:

Delete butter.  Use a non-stick pan and lightly spray with butter-flavored cooking spray (Pam). 

Use low-fat Philly cream cheese.  I used 1/3 reduced fat and couldn’t tell the difference.  Non-fat might work, too, since the seasonings would cover any weird graininess you might experience.

Lightly spray the top of the pastries with butter-flavored cooking spray prior to cooking.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

I believe this recipe was originally written down at a Weight Watcher's meeting years ago, but when I searched through my book of Bon Appetite recipes, I found many recipes that were similar.  If you want to change the herbs to Herbs de Provance, or use Lemon Pepper, or whatever, go right ahead!  That is the beauty of these easy-peasy recipes. Enjoy!

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Prep time: 5-15 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Oven temp: 375 degrees F.

Russet potatoes, peeled, cubed into ½-in pieces (I used 5 small/medium potatoes-feel free to try red, blue, Yukon gold, or whatever you have available)

Olive oil

Italian seasoning

Garlic powder

Salt

Black pepper

Minced dried onions (fresh onions will burn in the oven)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place cubed potatoes into 9-in square Pyrex pan.  Drizzle with olive oil, shake seasonings over potatoes.  Toss with hands until coated (the potatoes, though your hands are coated, too!). Add more seasoning, if desired.

Place pan in center of oven for one hour.  Set timer for 30 minutes.  When 30 minutes are up, using metal spatula, flip potatoes over (they might stick to the pan). If they don't seem to be cooking, increase the oven's temp 25 degrees, if it is cooking too quickly, lower the temp 25 degrees Cook for 30 more minutes.

They should look golden brown, like this. This should also give you an idea of how much of the Italian herb seasoning I used.

Sorry, this is from my phone . . . deal with the picture quality.  I placed our plates in the oven to warm, they ended up too hot, so be careful.  A warm plate will keep the meal warmer for longer. Uh, I shouldn't have to say this, but I will DO NOT DO THIS WITH A PLASTIC PLATE!

Served with pan-fried ham steak (@ 1/3 inch thick slice of bone-in ham) and peas.  Heated plates in the oven to keep meal warm.  Excellent!

Enjoy!
Later, Peeps!

Buttery Toffee recipe

I posted on Facebook that I was finishing up my candy making process and one of my FarmVille friends requested my toffee recipe.  As I mentioned, I don't mind sharing my recipes, so here is my revamped version of a Bon Appetit recipe.  Before attempting to make you MUST HAVE A CANDY THERMOMETER. 

BUTTERY PECAN TOFFEE

makes about 1.5 lbs.

Unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tablespoon honey
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Unsalted butter (used to butter small baking sheet 9 X 13)
melted milk chocolate for dipping (pre-tempered is best--Merkens)
coarsely ground pecans

Butter small baking sheet, set aside. Melt butter in heavy 2 1/2-quart saucepan over low heat.  Add both sugars, water and honey and stir until sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to medium and cook until candy thermometer registers 290 F, stirring slowly, but constantly, and scraping bottom of pan with rubber spatula, about 15 minutes (but can take longer.  If taking too long, then slightly increase the heat). DO NOT WALK AWAY. Toffee and caramels seem to take forever to get to the appropriate tempurature or color, but will burn quickly.

Remove pan from heat.  Mix in 1 cup of chopped nuts.  Immediately pour mixture into prepared sheet: do not scrape pan.  Let stand about 2 minutes and then score the candy with knife or metal scraper into 1-inch pieces.  Let cool.  Slip spatula under candy and break along the scored lines.  Melt chocolate and dip toffee pieces in chocolate, flipping the candy until coated.  Using fork, lift candy out and tap off excess chocolate, scraping fork along edge of bowl.  Gently lay wet candy on a bed of ground pecans until dry.  Or you can sprinkle ground pecans on top.  When dry store in air-tight container until ready to package and give away.


I hope you all enjoy this recipe.  I usually make 3 batches (thus my candy making exhaustion) to give out to about 35 friends and family members, along with all the other stuff that I make. If you have any problems or questions, feel free to email me at:  margaret.golla (at) gmail.com