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Monday, October 29, 2007

I DARE: Bostini Cream Pie October Challenge!


YIPPEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO excited that I get to participate with all the wonderful daring bakers! I could not be more thankful, as this gives me the motivation, and a VERY good reason to make delicious food and expand my baking horizon.





This is my first challenge: Bostini Cream Pie






Bostini Cream Pie(from Donna Scala & Kurtis Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and Scala's Bistro)Makes 8 generous servings





INGREDIENTS:


Custard:


3/4 cup whole milk ( I used soymilk)


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 (I used earth balance)





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.





This challenge REALLY scared me when I first looked at the recipe and the instructions. I've never EVER made custard in my life and from all the tempering horror stories that I have heard, I almost went numb. I thought 'Great, my first challenge from Mary of Alpineberry and I'm going to completely fail it.'


I have to say though, it turned out to be not as intimidating as I had thought and I had a bunch of fun making it. I was nervous though about how I would mould the custard so that it would stay in shape ( I just wanted it that way). So I lined mini loaf pans with aluminum foil and refrigerated it that way. Well, stupid me thought it would stay that way, but obviously it didn't so I stuck it in the freezer. It held its shape that way but it melts SO fast as you can tell from the pictures.


My favorite part though of the challenge was the chiffon cake. OH BOY! It was SO good. It was so moist and soft and the orange juice and zest stood out soooo well. I basically ate the cake by itself.


All in all, I had a blast with this challenge and can't wait for the next one! YAY! I promise better presentation and better picture taking skills (they really aren't very good. lol)


Till next challenge!

39 comments:

Karen Baking Soda said...

Well you did it and you did good! I do like your melting custard though, it looks like real luscious ice cream to me, so no problem there!

Anh said...

Congratulation on your first challenge! What a great job you did!

Sheltie Girl said...

Beautiful Bostini's! I liked that you used soy milk and cream together for the egg custard. I used coconut milk to make mine and it was delicious. I did have to scoop it out of the foil cups though, it wouldn't firm up all the way.

Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go

slush said...

Great job! Congrats on your first challenge. I agree, the cake is a keeper for this house. We all liked it!

Brilynn said...

Congrats on a first challenge well done!

Unknown said...

this looks great, you did wonderful for your first challenge. i always get so excited after posting for the month waiting for the next challenge

Deborah said...

Yours is the first rectangle cake I've seen! It looks great!!

Carrie said...

Congrats on your first challenge! It looks like your custard turned out very well. This was my first challenge too and I also feared the custard (I think many of us did)!
:-)

Unknown said...

You guys are too sweet. Thank you for commenting on my first challenge!

baking soda - I know, maybe that's why I liked the custard so much cause it resembled ice cream. :-D

Anh - Thanks so much!

Sheltie girl - ohhh coconut milk. That sounds like a perfect combination. yeah, I know. My custard didn't firm up either.

Slush - definitely. I didn't realise that cake could get yummier. I guess it does!

Brilynn - thank you. :-) I appreciate you visiting my blog.

Courtney - Thank you. I am nervous and excited about the next challenge. I can't wait!

Deborah - Thank you :-) I originally wanted to do heart shapes but here in Milton, Fl we don't have a good selection of pastry and baking supplies.

Belinda said...

What a super job you did with the first challenge as a Daring Baker! There is not a thing wrong with your presentation...its just perfect, and I love the rectangular shape you chose to go with, its very effective, and looks beautiful! :-)

Brittany said...

Congrats on conquering the bostini! Your pic looks great- you should see some of my blog pictures. They are downright laughable. I can bake, but I'm not so good with the whole photography/following the instructions on my camera thing!

Gigi said...

Wow, amazing job on your custard! I love the the perfect square Bostini, it just looks too delicious. Great job!

kellypea said...

Congrats on your first DB challenge! I love the rectangular shape of yours. I'll be dreaming of all the shapes of these Bostinis!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

I don't know why I didn't get onto that freeze the custard band wagon. . . it's a perfectly great idea. Congratulations on a beautiful first challenge!

Christine said...

I was trying to figure out how your custard was able to retain it's shape! I also liked how you made it rectangular, it's a nice change from roundness.

Great job!

Laura said...

A triumphant first challenge looking forward to many more!

April said...

Great job on your first challenge!! Welcome to the DBer's!!

creampuff said...

Congratulations on your first challenge as a Daring Baker! You did a great job!

Lis said...

Hooray for your first DB challenge, Valerie!! And WOW did you do a great job! I think putting the custard in the freezer would make it even better, even if it did melt quickly.

Beautiful job!!

xoxo

Emily said...

Val!!! GOOD JOB! Way to go!
This looks so hard, and you did it. Congrats on being a "Daring Baker".
I don't think I'm as daring as you.

Julie said...

Hooray cake--how fun! I love mini loaf pans. =) I'm glad you overcame your Bostini fear. Your dessert looks wonderful!

Unknown said...

carrie - thank you. Congrats on your first challenege also. I'm reliefed I'm not the only one intimidated by the "custard". lol

Belinda - thanks! You are so sweet. :-) The rectangular shape made for some thick cake!

Brittany - I have the same problem with anything that requires a manual. I flip through it but never read it. hehe.

gigi - thank you for stopping by. I appreciate it so much.

Kellypea - thank you. I know, all these wonderful bostinis and how creative people are with them. What great things when all these minds are put together.

Christina - Maybe I didn't make my custard right, but some people were able to have the custard retain their shape without putting it in the freezer. So I have no clue, but yours looks delicious!

Laura - yes, I'm looking forward to seeing next months challenges and their pictures!

April - thank you. I'm enjoying myself SO much already. This is an amazing group.

Creampuff - thanks! I am just excited to be a part of you guys!

Lis - I liked it frozen cause it has the consistency of ice cream! Thanks for stopping by!

Emilie - Thank you. I think you're daring if not more! Look at all the stuff you come up with! Things I never thought of, or would ever tackle.

Julie - I know, I'm a little too attached to those mini loaf pans now. My muffins pan is getting neglected. Thank you. :-D

Alpineberry Mary said...

I'm so glad you've joined our group and you did a fantastic job on your very first challenge. Well done!

breadchick said...

Great job on completing your first challenge!! Glad to have you baking with us!!

Dolores said...

Congratulations Valerie and welcome to the group! Part of the beauty of the Daring Baker experience is that as long as you learn something in the process and have fun along the way there IS no failure.

Elle said...

Lovely post and I just love the photo with the custard melting...it would make great ice cream. Glad that you are a Daring Baker!

Unknown said...

Mary - Thank you for the challenge. I would have never even heard if it were not for the daring bakers. This is such a wonderful idea!

Breadchick - thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad I was able to join!

dolores - That's an awesome quote to live by. Thank you so much :-)

elle - Yes, I definitely thought it was ice cream like. I tried not to eat much of it, but that was hard. lol.

Jen Yu said...

Hey fellow DBer! I think you did a wonderful job on your bostini :) And please give yourself a little more credit - I certainly don't expect people to be a professional chef AND a professional photographer... We're all here to learn and have fun and you did beautifully on your challenge!

-jen at use real butter

Annemarie said...

Well done on your first challenge, and kudos for thinking of sticking the custard in the freezer. Too bad it melted so quickly, but that's the custard's fault rather than yours, isn't it? :)

Julius said...

Thanks for dropping my blog, and I really appreciate your comments.

I love your square bostini. You're right about the chiffon - it's not as intimidating as it looks. :)

Julius, The Occasional Baker

Cynthia said...

Congrats on a job well done!

Jenny said...

Smart thinking, putting the custard in the freezer. And congrats on your first challenge!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Wonderful! Congratulations on your first challenge! An interesting way of proceeding...

Cheers,

Rosa

Helene said...

Glad you're part of the group Valerie! Great job in your first challenge! The custard would make an incredible ice cream indeed!

Inne said...

Welcome to the Daring Bakers and congrats on your first challenge. I love the way you plated it.

Gabi said...

Welcome to DBs, your Bostini is Beautiful- like a chocolate covered gold ingot!
xoxo

Peabody said...

Great job on your first challenge.

Unknown said...

Jen yu - thank you you guys are all so supportive and nice. Its so wonderful! :-)

annemarie - The outside melted really fast but the middle of the custard was a little ice cream like when we got to it still.

Queillia - Thank you for visiting my first challege! It's so exciting!

rosa - Thank you. I know, it's a little different. :-)

Tartlette - I'm so thankful to be able to join! It's definitely something I have a passion for and it just pushes me to explore so much!

Inne - Thanks :-D It was my first attempt at plating anything. lol.

Gabi - thanks for visiting. You have quite the amazing description for the bostini. Makes it sound even more delicious!

Peabody: thank you for stopping by! :-D

Marye said...

I like the way the cake looks the way you presented it. Nice job. (It is taking me forever to see everyone's but I am determined)