It is a sad state of affairs when this is the only post I’ve managed to get done this month. Because you know that if I’m not posting, it can only mean that I’m also not cooking. Alas, it’s true. I’ve been so wrapped up in a project that my poor family is subsisting on cereal and sandwiches, the latter being made with store bought bread. (At least I’ve been buying nice bread, it’s not like we are eating Wonder Bread. I may be busy, but I’ve still got standards.) But thanks to my friends, the Daring Bakers, I was lured back into the kitchen this weekend to tackle the monthly challenge, Bostini Cream Pie. I had read the recipe early in the month, a mouth wateringly elegant and delicious take on Boston Cream Pie – a pretty great dessert in its own right, and have spent many hours anticipating its creamy wonderfulness. I’m happy to tell you that when I finally set aside some time to make it for myself, it is as wonderful as it sounds.
For starters, anything that involves pastry cream is a winner in my book and this is a
particularly tasty one. It’s heavy on the heavy cream, but has none of the usual mouth coating heaviness that often accompanies cream. The vanilla bean gives it a soft, complex and fragrant flavor that melts in your mouth. But the real winner here is the chiffon cake. I took the opportunity to elaborate on the cake recipe, eliminating the orange juice and zest and replacing it with Frangelico liquor. Frangelico is one of my favorite flavors, and pairing it with chocolate is always a wonderful idea. Adding the pastry cream was a concept that seemed too delicious not to try. The batter was a little scary, the alcohol in the Frangelico was overwhelming, but after it was baked, it mellowed into a wonderfully moist and hazelnutty sponge, a perfect base to play off the cream and ganache.
Oh and the ganache! I had never made one that was simply equal parts butter and bittersweet chocolate. The most usual thing about it was when I took my first bite of the Bostini, I got such a nice whiff of butter, it almost made my mouth water.
I was enjoying my second helping of Bostini with tea Sunday afternoon, when Lovie trooped several of the neighborhood kids into my kitchen. When she saw what I was indulging in, she promptly sat down and began asking me to provide Bostinis for what seemed like the entire block. By the way, I am a generous soul, I love to cook for people and it warms my heart when I can watch someone enjoying something I’ve baked, but it’s not like I was eating animal crackers and I was not about to part with my treasured Bostini Cream Pie for a bunch of 5 year olds who could never appreciate the complexity of the flavor combination, the richness of the pastry cream or the subtle flavor of the chiffon cake. I mumbled something about peanut allergies and hustled them all out the door. Wicked witch I may be, but I did again get to enjoy Bostini Cream Pie with tea today and didn’t feel even a little bit guilty about it.
This wonderful confection was suggested by Mary of Alpineberry. Thanks so much for this month’s contribution to the Daring Bakers, a fun and intrepid group of adventurous cooks. Please check out the blogroll and discover a few new inspired variations on the Bostini Cream Pie.
