[Sca-cooks] Favorite dessert?

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Apr 4, 2008, at 11:56 AM, chawkswrth at aol.com wrote:
> On Apr 4, 2008, at 12:49 AM, chawkswrth at aol.com wrote:
>> There are times, Adamantius, when I think you are a man after my own
>> heart.
>
> Only sometimes???
>
>
> ;-) Since you are married, with Evyl Spawn, let's just keep it at  
> that, OK? ;-)
> Besides, that New Yorker/Southern Girl thing just would never work.

Of course. It's the principle of the thing ;-).

> **That is why I am no longer in business. I did a fairly good  
> Wedding business in our former city, but when we moved to  
> Birmingham, it was quickly evident that this place was not that  
> interested in good receptions, just fast "crumb and sip" service and  
> get them gone, receptions. I am seeing evidence that it is changing,  
> but, I just don't have the stamina I had 20 years ago. Too many  
> years, too many injuries.

The joints ache more when your heart isn't in it, frankly, and I  
suspect this is something a lot of us here have experienced.

> **We have a place that does serve huge good cakes with good icing,  
> now. The prices run about $30 for a 10" round of 3 huge layers, with  
> real buttercream icing. The Strawberry is beautiful and tastes  
> heavenly. It is made with REAL strawberries, not pink fluff with  
> fake flavoring. But, she is rare. VERY rare.

Cool! I hope you and others will do whatever is needed to keep that  
business afloat.

> **I do not stabilize with flour. I use corn startch in my puddings.  
> There is a difference between pudding and custards, though. Puddings  
> are stirred while cooking, custards bake in the oven.

Maybe this is a bit of real-world IKA; somebody like Irma Rombauer or  
James Beard would call what you're talking about stirred custards,  
such as creme Anglaise, zabaglione, and the custard from which much  
ice cream is made. Baked custards are baked. Stirred custards are  
stirred, usually in a double-boiler arrangement, but what makes it a  
custard is the primary thickening of eggs. Eggs are good in puddings,  
too, but puddings are primarily thickened with starch of some sort,  
while the eggs are mainly there for enrichment.

> My cream pies are made with pudding, if that makes sense. I stir  
> together corn starch and sugar, beat egg yolks and milk together.  
> Pour the milk into the sugar, in a heavy pot. Cook, and stir, stir  
> and cook, till bubbles appear. Boil a bare minute, turning off the  
> eye and stirring. Take it off the eye, put in butter and vanilla.  
> Let cool a bit, then either put it in the pie shell or start forming  
> up the banana pudding. the egg whites are beaten into merigue, with  
> sugar and a touch of vanilla. put it all together, and toast  
> meringue in oven. I make chocolate cream pie by putting cocoa in the  
> sugar mixture, and I can make a coconut by using a can of Cream of  
> Coconut in the milk mixture. Since the Grandfather can not chew  
> Coconut meat, it works.
> It is a versatile recipe.

Yep, and apart from possible differences in proportions, not too  
different from most pastry cream, like the stuff that goes into cream  
puffs, eclairs, and Napoleons. They're usually a bit more eggy than  
the standard pudding recipe, but there's usually a little bit of flour  
or other starch to keep it smooth under high heat.

My Mom would make lemon meringue pie pretty much as you're describing  
(but no milk), but she also made chocolate cream and banana cream pies  
similarly (milk as main liquid) with actual whipped cream, and no  
meringue.

> **Hmmm, I think I may have something at home.It is very possible  
> that I am over-cooking. It wouldn't be the first time. :-P

Starch _should_, in theory, protect you from textural weirdness from  
overcooking in the event of anything but the most extreme cases, but  
corn starch can thicken up in a slurry very easily if you're not  
careful, and produce weird lumps. It also likes to settle to the  
bottom of a liquid and hide. Balloon whips are your friend.

Adamantius




"Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls,  
when we all ought to worry about our own souls, and other people's  
bellies."
			-- Rabbi Israel Salanter