Monday 29 October 2007

Another month, another challenge done


Its been a month since I first wrote about the Daring Bakers, the online baking group that I've become a member end, and since its the month end, it means that its time to unveil the challenge for October. The host for this month's challenge is Mary and she's chosen a Bostini Cream Pie to be the recipe for the month.

Now prior to reading about this month's challenge, I had absolutely no idea what a Bostini Cream Pie is. Thanks to the Daring Bakers, not only do I know what it is and how it is made, but I also know what it tastes like and its good. Seriously good.

Bostini Cream Pie is probably one of those desserts which I would never have ordered on my own accord in a restaurant (just because my tendency is usually to head for something that is pure chocolate) so I'm thankful that this challenge forced me to try it out because I got the opportunity to discover something new.

Now for those of you still wondering what I'm talking about, Bostini Cream Pie was created by Donna Scala and Kurtis L. Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and selected as the San Francisco Chronicle's best recipe of 1996. It was created to be a take on the famous Boston Cream pie and is really more of a cake than a pie. It is composed of an orange chiffon cake sitting on top of a rich vanilla custard and covered with a warm gooey chocolate glaze. Sounds good, eh? Trust me, it is!

If you're looking for something to serve at your next dinner party, look no further. This will definitely wow your guests but be forewarned, it is incredibly rich. The recipe uses a grand total of 14 eggs so maybe you should just skip right to dessert.


Bostini Cream Pie

(from Donna Scala & Kurtis Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and Scala's Bistro)

INGREDIENTS:

Custard (Pastry Cream) 3/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 whole egg, beaten
9 egg yolks, beaten
3 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

Chiffon Cake 1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup beaten egg yolks (3 to 4 yolks)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Chocolate Glaze 8 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate
8 ounces unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

To prepare the custard (pastry cream): Combine the milk and cornstarch in a bowl; blend until smooth. Whisk in the whole egg and yolks, beating until smooth. Combine the cream, vanilla bean and sugar in a saucepan and carefully bring to a boil. When the mixture just boils, whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk this back into the cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the custard and pour into 8 large custard cups. Refrigerate to chill.

To prepare the chiffon cakes: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray 8 molds with nonstick cooking spray. You may use 7-ounce custard cups, ovenproof wide mugs or even large foil cups. Whatever you use should be the same size as the custard cups.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Stir until smooth, but do not overbeat.

Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the orange batter. Fill the sprayed molds nearly to the top with the batter.

Bake approximately 25 minutes, until the cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove the cakes from the molds. Cover the cakes to keep them moist.

To prepare the glaze:
Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until it is just about to bubble. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pour through a strainer and keep warm.

To assemble:
Cut a thin slice from the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake flat-side down on top of each custard. Cover the tops with warm chocolate glaze. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 generous servings

44 comments:

Karen Baking Soda said...

Oh yes sounds like a real good idea to me, make that 8 very generous servings instead of dinner! (or 24 servings after dinner).

Meeta said...

Who needs dinner when you have these gorgeous desserts! Lovely looking cake. Love the way the chocolate oozes out of the forms. Nice job!

glamah16 said...

Perfect!

Marye said...

I love the way you plated it. Great job

Megan said...

I love your plate also. Bostini looks wonderful-Great job!

Sheltie Girl said...

Caroline - Your Bostini is beautiful and it looks like it tasted great too!

Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

Unknown said...

looks wonderful, you did great on your challenge

Brilynn said...

Well done! I like your plates.

Belinda said...

I love the gorgeous rich glaze dripping over the sides of the ramekins...as far as I'm concerned, one can never go too far with chocolate. :-) And yes...skipping dinner and heading right for dessert is a notion that bears considering.

Brittany said...

Beautimous!! I'm with you- Fasting for a day is probably a good idea before eating this!

Henny A. said...

This looks luscious--i love how you made the chocolate drip over the ramekin like that. Great job!

Deborah said...

I love your plating - it looks great!!

Gigi said...

Your Bostni's look absolutely divine ...mmm!

marias23 said...

Heehee, I love the way the glaze drips drips drips down the side of your ramekin! J'adore!

Jen Yu said...

Great job, Caroline. It looks delicious. You are the opposite of me - I like the non-chocolate desserts (but you'd get along great with my husband who looooooves chocolate desserts). This recipe was a good compromise between the two camps of desserts, no? I thought the chocolate might be a bit much, but I found the combination to be lovely.

-jen at use real butter

creampuff said...

Well done! I love the way the chocolate is pouring over the tops!

kellypea said...

Gorgeous presentation! And I love ordering chocolate for dessert when we eat out, too, but I've become more adventuresome in the past year or so. It's been fun.

Julius said...

I like the clean look of your blog, and your plating of the bostini is very inviting. :)

You're right about skipping the main course when having this as a dessert.

Please feel free to check out my bostini here.

Julius

Lynne Daley said...

I love your presentation of the Bostini Cream Pie!

April said...

Looks beautiful! My mouth is watering!

breadchick said...

Gorgeous Bostini souffle!! Great job this month!!

Lis said...

hahahahaaa! I totally agree.. this definitely calls for skipping dinner and getting right to the goods!

I love you presentation! You did a fabulous job!

xoxo

Alpineberry Mary said...

Sometimes at Scala's I want to skip dinner and just have a Bostini. Nicely done on the challenge!

Unknown said...

14 eggs...I think I'm glad I halved it. I got 8 servings even then! Great job!

slush said...

I love the DBs because I make things I would never try on my own. This is one of those things. I love picking up skills I wouldnt gain otherwise.

Great job, looks gorgeous!

Chez Us said...

Love the chocolate dripping all over - YUM! Good Job

Julie said...

I'm always happy to read that someone with no notion of the dessert charged right in! I love you plates and plating--very well done!

leslie @ definitely not martha said...

It should definitely be dinner.

Leslie at definitely not martha

Dagmar said...

Well done! I love the plating. I would love to have the bostini as a main course :-)

Mila said...

hahaha
coulnd't be perfect! 14 eyes makes a meel right!

Jenny said...

Skip to dessert? What a great idea!

Michelle said...

Great job!

iCook2live said...

That chocolate dripping down the sides looks so good.

Christine said...

Very nice! I love the way you plated it. This is definitely good for a party as it would make many decently sized servings.

Annemarie said...

You make a very good arguement for having Bostini for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! The presentation of yours is very elegant.

Dolores said...

Your simple straightforward approach to presenting your Bostini is absolutely stunning. Welcome to the madness! :)

David T. Macknet said...

Only 8 servings? Oh, my. Really? Then maybe I shouldn't have scaled down.... :)

Helene said...

Beautiful job! Eah for aother great challenge! We loved it too!

Wendy said...

I love the chocolate spilling over the ramekin - so decadent. It is a great dinner party dessert. Wendy

Inne said...

I agree with you Caroline, a bostini cream pie is a perfect dessert to impress dinner party guests.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

I really like your presentation Caroline - the plate under the cup is terrific. I really think this is a lovely dessert to share with someone thereby making a better portion size.

Cheryl said...

Please tell me you licked all the chocolate off of that ramekin. Its only right.

Gabi said...

Beautiful presentation- really lovely and inviting!
xoxo

Peabody said...

The DB's do a great job of opening your eyes to many culinary things...great job with your challenge.