I'm writing this post to say thank you. Thank you for your tweets, your notes, your well wishes and all you have done to support Boston and New England in its hour of need. It means more than you know. Suffice it to say, I’m remarkably proud of the city of Boston, and how everyone responded to the tragic events that unfolded on Patriot’s Day (Marathon Monday) and the days that followed.
As you know, native New Englanders, on the whole, are generally more reserved in their behavior than people from other regions of the United States. As someone on Twitter recently said about New Englanders, “They won’t necessarily bring you a pie when you move in but they’ll be the first people to help you when your car breaks down.” Generally speaking, this is true and it is precisely what we saw last week.
In the face of unspeakable violence, we saw people putting their own lives at risk to help the wounded. We saw people finish a 26 mile marathon only to run another 2 miles to the hospital to donate blood and in one case, perform surgery. We saw people open their homes and businesses to those in who needed shelter. We saw people make the decision to stay inside so that law enforcement could do it’s job.
As most of you know, America got it’s start in Massachusetts. Much of what defines New Englanders as a people comes from the early American struggle. Defining characteristics such as hard work, self-reliance and resiliency shape who we are today. Because of this, we were not for an instant about to give up our way of life over last Monday. On the contrary. While the events unfolded and the roller coaster of emotions began, I was deeply concerned for friends, neighbors and those in the direct line of violence. Not for one moment was I concerned about the ability of Boston to rebound.
Millions of people around the world think of Boston as their home. Three hundred thousand people commute into the city daily. More than 100 colleges and universities welcome over 250 thousand students from around the world each year. Boston is the largest city in New England and residents all over the region embrace the city as their own. Moreover, 10 million seek out it’s museums and attractions every year and 30 thousand athletes from over 90 countries attended the Boston Marathon this year alone. In fact, many of you, from as far away as Australia, have written to me to let me know that you went to school here, that you fell in love here or that you spent the best years of your life here. Did anyone really think we were going to let terrorism take that way? Please.
So when you see the phrase ‘Boston Strong', know that it’s about more than regional pride. Know that it’s a testament to the courage and strength every community has when it pulls together with a spirit of kindness and love for the greater good. One quote from Martin Luther King has been circulated a great deal this week, “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” Despite whatever political posturing you hear over the coming months, remember that that is true. In the spirit of the love and compassion that emerged from this tragic event, I hope you join me in donating to The One Fund, set up by the Governor of Massachusetts and the Mayor of Boston, to help the families and victims as they repair and rebuild their lives. Thanks again for all of your support. See you at next year’s marathon.
Bostonians pour into streets after capture of suspect.
The recipe below is the official dessert of Massachusetts. It was invented at the Parker Housein Boston (also where John F. Kennedy proposed to Jackie). It's called a pie because in colonial times there were no cake pans, just pie tins. It also happens to be my all time favorite. I know you'll love it as much as I do.
Boston Cream Pie (Adapted from Chef Bo Friberg) Cake Base 4 (1/2 c or 120 ml) egg whites 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) half and half 4 c (455 g) cake flour 2 1/4 c (455 g) sugar 3 tsp (16 g) baking powder 1/2 tsp (2.5 g) salt 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract 23 1/2 tbs (340 g) melted unsalted butter 1 whole egg Grease and flour two 9” or 10" pie pans. 2. Stir together the egg whites and one third of the half and half. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the vanilla, melted butter, remaining 2/3 of half and half and the whole egg. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, Beat at high speed for a 2-3 minutes. Gradually stir in the egg white mixture and mix until combined. Divide between cake pans. 5. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until the cake springs back when you press it lightly with your finger. When cake cools, remove from cake pans. Level off the tops by cutting of the tops with a serrated knife. Divide each layer in half so you have four layers. Brush each base layer with rum syrup. Rum Syrup 1/4 c (60 ml) dark rum or Grand Marnier 1/4 c (60 ml) water 2 tbs. sugar Combine all ingredients. Cook until sugar is dissolved, then simmer gently an additional 2-3 minutes. Pastry Cream 2 c (273 ml) whole milk 3 tbs (30 g) cornstarch 1/4 c plus 1 tsp (115 g) sugar a pinch of salt (1 g) salt 2 eggs 2 tsp. (10 ml) vanilla extract 4 tbs (55 g) unsalted butter 1/2 c (120 ml) heavy cream 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the cornstarch, sugar and salt together with a fork until well-blended. Using the whisk attachment, add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. 2. Boil the milk. 3. Slowly add about 1/3 of the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking rapidly as not to cook the eggs. Pour the tempered mixture back into the pan and stir. 4. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Quickly stir in the vanilla and the butter. 5. Pour into a bowl to cool and cover with waxed paper to prevent skin from forming. 6. When completely cool, whip 1/2 cup of heavy cream until peaks form and fold into the pastry cream. Refrigerate. Chocolate glaze 3 1/2 c (455 g) dark chocolate 10 tbs (140 g) unsalted butter 1/4 c plus 1 tbs (40 g) cocoa powder 1/4 c (60 ml) rum or grand marinier 3/4 c (180 ml) corn syrup Make the chocolate glaze after the cake chills. Cool slightly. Add additional corn syrup or alcohol to thin the glaze to your taste. 1. Chop and melt the chocolate. Add the butter and stir until blended. 2. Stir in the cocoa powder. Stir in the corn syrup and alcohol. If glaze hardens, heat in microwave until desired consistency is achieved. Sliced, toasted almonds are optional. Assembly Level off top of cakes with serrated knife Divide each cake into 2 layers, making a 4 layer cake Brush off crumbs Brush base layers of cake with rum syrup. Divide pastry/ whipped cream filling between each of the cake base layers Use an offset spatula to spread the cream filling almost to the edge Assemble cake Press down gently so that the cream comes to the sides Chill until firm Top with chocolate. Press toasted almond slices against the sides of the cake Chill and remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving Bon Appetit!
It is officially spring and I couldn’t be happier. I love the transition from the long, cold, snowy days to budding green vegetation and the song of birds. Mother nature is easing us into spring slowly but every day we see a few new signs of life and move closer to soft and temperate fresh air. I’ve packed away the Easter decorations and put them into storage for next year. All that remains are a few delicious cookies I baked for our holiday guests. I mixed into the cookie dough a bit of local maple syrup and it’s a perfect seasonal touch for a light and scrumptious cookie.
I’m looking forward to completing all sorts of new projects this spring. Each project has it’s own intense learning curve, so it’s taking me a while to get from point A to point B, but I’ll get there. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “In order for one to learn the important lessons of life, one must first overcome a fear each day.” Over time, I’ve found that things go much easier when I trust in myself and the learning process. In fact, I often find the learning process more valuable than the outcome I was trying to achieve in the first place. But that’s just me. How do you deal with challenging projects?
Anyway, I’ll hopefully be able to share some of the projects with you soon. In the meantime, try these cookies. I seem to be a bit obsessed with shortbread cookies lately but they just go so well with a hot cup of tea, I can’t resist.
Toasted Pecan Maple Syrup Shortbread 2 1/4 c (300 g) flour, sifted 17 1/2 tbs (250 g) unsalted butter, cubed and softened 1 egg yolk 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla 2 tsp (8 g) New England maple syrup 1 tsp (4 g) cinnamon 1 pinch of salt 1 tsp (4 g) sugar 1 1/2 c less 2 tbs (160 g) powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting 2 c (180 g) toasted pecans, chopped Preheat over to 350 F (180 C) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment add flour and butter cubes (if you use a paddle attachment, use the lowest speed and do not over mix). Mix on low speed until pea sized particles form. Add egg yolk, vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, sugar and powdered sugar and stir just until mixed. Add pecans and mix until blended. Chill dough for 20 minutes. Roll out dough to about 1/2 inch thick on a silicone baking sheet lightly dusted with flour. Cut shapes with your favorite cookie cutter. Place cut cookies on baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies are golden. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Dust with sifted powdered sugar. Sprinkle with colored sugar, if desired. Bon Appetit!
Spring has finally arrived. It won't be long now before the sun is shining and the daffodils are in bloom. As is always the case with this time of the year, we need a little boost to cheer us up and help us usher in the new season. I've made a Dark Chocolate Milk Jam Tart to help celebrate the arrival of spring and it is beyond delicious. What is milk jam, you ask? It's a very old french recipe. I'll let you read about it here.
This is also the time of year where I usually giveaway some amazing chocolate. It's just my way of saying thank you for being such loyal readers and great friends. This year I have a wee favor to ask in return. I have linked to a very brief 10 question survey I'm asking you to fill out so I can better understand who reads this blog. If you could take a moment to complete it before entering the giveaway, I'd be most appreciative.
As you can see, I'm giving away a bit more than chocolate this year. Here's what's included: A giant bar of white Toblerone chocolate A bag of nougat from Provence, France A gorgeous keepsake tin of French La Mere Poulard chocolate chip cookies A 2.2 lb (1 kg) box of Cacao Barry Saint Domingue Origine 70% Chocolate Pistoles (pistoles are small chocolate discs that you can melt and chop easily) How can you not love this giveaway?
Here's how you can enter to win:
Complete the brief reader survey here. (no worries, I'm not collecting data on you personally, just looking at the aggregate results)
Leave a comment on this post before midnight on Friday April 5, 2013
Make sure your comment links directly to a site where you can be contacted. Otherwise include a Twitter or email address in your comment. Only comments that include this information are eligible to win.
One entry per person.
The winner will be selected at random and contacted on Saturday April 6, 2013
before noon (EST).
Be sure to check your inbox and messages. If no response is received by Monday April 8, 2013 at noon (EST), another winner will be selected.
This giveaway will ship anywhere in the world.
In the meantime, try this Dark Chocolate Milk Jam Tart. It's out of this world.
Dark Chocolate Milk Jam Tart Pate Sucre (Tart Crust) 1 3/4 c (250 g) flour 9 tbs (125 g) butter, room temperature, diced 1 c less 2 tbs (100 g) powdered sugar 1/4 tsp (1 g) sea salt 1 egg In the standing bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter into the dry ingredients until pea size particles form. Switch to the hook attachment and knead the egg into the dry mixture. Just as the mixture loosely comes together and begins to look like dough, pour onto plastic wrap and use plastic wrap to shape the sough into a disk. The less you touch the dough with your hands, the less tough it will be. Refrigerate until manageable. Roll out dough on a lightly floured silicone baking sheet. Fit dough inside an 8" spring form pan or tart pan. Trim edges. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Prick dough all over with fork. Line with foil and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake about 20 minutes until lightly golden. (If sides sink down during baking, carefully press them up with the back of a spoon. ) Cool completely. Milk Jam 4 1/4 c (1 liter) whole milk 1 c plus 2 tsp (220 g sugar) 1 vanilla pod, split open (you can make this without the vanilla pod) 2 tsp (8 g) vanilla extract 1/2 tsp (4 g) baking soda
You can make this recipe in advance but be sure you're close by while it cooks. You'll have to check on it every 10- 15 minutes for a few hours. The goal is to cook this low and slow. The result is totally worth it. Place all ingredients in a large 2 liter pot and stir (expect the milk volume to double as it boils). Turn heat to med-high and bring the mixture to a gentle boil without stirring. Once you see the milk start to boil and bubble slightly, get ready to turn the heat down. You do not want the milk to over-boil. Once it’s boiled, turn the heat down to the lowest temperature (that is, until it’s barely simmering). Skim the foam off of the top. Continue to simmer uncovered for around 1.5 – 2.5 hours. Stir and skim every 10-15 minutes. When the mixture starts to look thick and caramel colored, remove from the stove and cool. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Chocolate Filling 1 c (150 g) chopped dark chocolate, 70% 2/3 c (150 ml) cream 1/4 tsp (1 g) sea salt Melt chocolate in heat proof bowl in microwave. [Do not overcook. I usually set the microwave for 1 minute then remove and stir. If it is not melted, I cook and stir in 10 second intervals. Keep in mind that the residual heat from the bowl will also melt the chocolate.] Whisk in the cream and salt. Set aside. Completing the Tart Fill tart shell two-thrids to half way with milk jam. Chill until firm. Pour chocolate filling on top. Optional: sprinkle with roasted chopped nuts. Chill until firm. Store in refrigerator. Remove 20-30 minutes before serving. Note: You do not need large slices of this tart. A small slice is very satisfying. Bon Appetit!
