Bostini Cream Pie

(picture coming shortly---or see it here: daring bakers, take 1)

Bostini Cream Pie

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

Daring Bakers Challenge #12: October 2007

Host: Mary (Alpineberry)

Post Date: Monday, October 29

Serving Size: 8 Generous Sevings

Allowed modifications:

1. You would replace the large volume of orange juice in the cake recipe and you don't have to use orange for the flavoring. You can substitute with a flavor that you think complements the other components as long as you keep the chiffon cake "light colored". So nothing "dark" like chocolate or coffee/espresso. You are on your own to figure out how to replace the orange juice.

2. Since the serving size is quite large, please feel free to half the recipe. Mary cannot guarantee that the recipes for the chiffon cake and custard will scale down successfully without affecting the final product.

3. The chocolate glaze recipe makes a lot. You may make as much or as little glaze as you would like. Scaling is straightforward since it's 1 part chocolate to 1 part butter.

4. You can play with the "size" of the dessert. You can make the custard and the cakes in smaller ramekins so that you'll have a bunch of miniature desserts instead of 8 regular sized ones. EDITED: It's okay to bake the chiffon cake in a large pan and cut out pieces to top the custard.

5. High altitude modifications are allowed as long as you stay "true" to the recipe.

6. Conversion for certain dietary restrictions like gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan etc. is allowed too.

7. Recipe ingredient exception allowed only if allergy or an ingredient not available or cost prohibitive in your region.

Ingredients:

Custard:

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 (EDITED:vanilla extract is okay)

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:

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.