Category: DESSERTS

Recipe (page 142) adapted from ‘A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband’ by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron

I seriously adapted this one into a modern easy to use recipe.

When I was a little girl Boston Cream Pie was my FAVORITE Sunday dinner dessert and my grandma made it for me regularly until I was about 10 years old and then Sunday dinners as we knew them stopped on a regular basis. Since then I have craved Boston Cream Pie on a regular basis and finally have resurrected her recipe.

According to about.com, Boston Cream Pie is “Not a pie, but not your average cake, Boston Cream Pie is one of the city’s signature recipes. A descendant of pudding-cake pie, the Boston cream pie is considered to be the creation of French chef Sanzian of the Parker House Hotel (now the Omni Parker House). In 1996 the Boston Cream Pie was named the official dessert of Massachusetts. Use this recipe to make one yourself, and find out what makes the Boston Cream Pie such an enduring favorite.”

CAKE

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 JUMBO egg
• 1 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk

CUSTARD***

• 1/3 cup sugar
• scant 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 JUMBO egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

GLAZE

• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons hot water

CAKE
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 1/2-inch springform baking pan. I use a square one to make pieces easier to cut.

Combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Cream together using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Combine with the creamed mixture and add the milk.

Pour batter into the prepared pan*. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.

CUSTARD
Combine the cornstarch, sugar, milk, eggs, cream, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk until smooth.

Bring the custard to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Continuing to whisk, let the custard boil for two minutes.

Remove from heat, and whisk in the butter. Set custard aside to cool, continuing to whisk occasionally.

GLAZE
In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and butter until smooth. remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

BUILDING THE PERFECT PIE
Remove the cake from the pan and cut it in half horizontally with a long serrated knife.

Place one half of the cake on a plate with the cut side facing up. Top with custard.

Place the other half of the cake on top, with the cut side down.

Coat the top of the cake with glaze allowing it to drip down the sides.

*I like to use my square spring form pan for a couple of reasons; it make cutting pieces a lot easier since the slices when it is cut as a pie tend to try and fall over and my serving plate is rectangular in shape.

***The traditional custard substitutes in this recipe for a pineapple custard which is what we like to do.

CHEESECAKE APPLE CRISP

CRISP
2-3 large Granny Smith apples (4 Cups)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup apple juice

TOPPING
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 small box cheesecake flavored instant pudding

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a large mixing bowl combine all CRISP ingredients and mix well. Pour into an un-greased stoneware pan.
• In a mixing bowl combine the topping ingredients and mix until crumbly.
• Sprinkle topping over apple mixture.
• Bake 45-60 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is crisp and golden.
• Serve warm with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream.

4 tablespoons cake flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
small splash of vanilla
3 tablespoons chocolate chips*

In a large coffee mug add the dry ingredients and mix well with a fork.
Add the egg and mix throughly.
Add the milk, oil and vanilla and mix again.
Add the chocolate chips.
Microwave for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
Cake will rise above mug – don’t worry.
Allow it to cool a bit before eating.

Originally posted at 3 Sides of Crazy.

BANANA BLUEBERRY CRUNCH
I usually make everything from scratch, but this recipe is too good to mess with much. I have reduced the fat a bit and altered the ingredients to meet my family’s likes, but other than that this recipe is fantastic as is. The key is to remember to layer exactly as listed! It is great in a pinch since most ingredients are always in the cupboard or freezer. The original recipe called for the butter before the nuts and coconut, but I changed that. By putting it last, the nuts and coconut toast up fantastically.

1 large can crushed pineapple, undrained
2-3 cups frozen blueberries
1-3 ripe banana(s), sliced thin
1 cup sugar
1 box yellow cake mix, dry
1/2-1 cup minced walnuts
1/2-1 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 -2 sticks butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Layer exactly as listed in even layers
• Bake 45-60 minutes until it tests done

COCONUT ALMOND PEAR TART

Adapted from BAKING FROM MY HOME TO YOURS by Dorie Greenspan

3 medium pears, firm but ripe
1 lemon
4 cups water
1 1/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 large egg

2 teaspoons coconut rum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 partially-baked 9-inch tart shell, made with Sweet Tart Dough (see below), at room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting, or apple jelly for glazing
whipped cream
toasted coconut

• Make the sweet dough recipe below first!

• Peel pears, but leave them whole.
• Bring the 4 cups water, the 1 1/4 cups sugar and the juice of the lemon to a boil in a saucepan just large enough to hold the pears.
• Add the pears to the boiling syrup, lower the heat so the syrup simmers and gently poach the pears until they are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
  
• Cool the pears to room temperature in the syrup.

To make the almond cream:

• Cream the butter and sugar in the food processor until the mixture is smooth and satiny.
• Add the ground almonds and continue to process until well blended.
• Add the flour and cornstarch, process, and then add the egg. Process until almond cream is smooth and consistent.
• Add the rum and vanilla and process just to blend.
  
• Place the almond cream in a container and refrigerate it until firm.

• Center rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Line a jelly roll pan with a silicone mat.
  
• Cut the pears in half from blossom to stem and core them; make sure to pat the pears dry – really dry – so that their liquid won’t keep the almond cream from baking.
• Fill the baked crust with the almond cream, spreading it even with a spatula.
  
• Thinly slice each pear half crosswise, lift each half on a spatula, press down on the pear to fan it slightly and place it, wide-end toward the edge of the crust, over the almond cream. The halves will form spokes.
• Put the crust on the lined baking sheet.
  
• Bake the tart 50 to 60 minutes, or until the almond cream puffs up around the pears and browns.
• Transfer the tart to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature before unmolding.

Right before serving, dust the tart with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream sprinkled with toasted coconut.

SWEET TART DOUGH
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup sweet flaked toasted coconut

To make the dough:

• Put the flour, powdered sugar and salt in the food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine.
• Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut in coarsely – you’ll have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pea-size pieces and that’s just fine.
• Beat the egg slightly, and gradually add it, pulsing after each addition.
• When all of the egg has been added, process in long pulses – about 10 seconds each – until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface.
• Very lightly and sparingly – make that very, very lightly and sparingly – knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
• Butter the tart pan and press the dough evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
• Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.