The Chef Within

Last week I had the chance to help a friend with a reception.  For the event I was making several cream pies and while working on them thought of a few things as it relates to cream pies and/or puddings. 

I’m not sure how many people have made a cream pie filling (custard) from scratch but it truly is simple and practically foolproof.  It is not as easy as the box of instant filling but it beats the flavor tenfold. 

There is also the box of cook and serve pudding which is quite simple but once again not as good as the real thing.  The differences are notable. 

The scratch ingredients for the filling are sugar, cornstarch (the thickener) and eggs and milk.  That’s basically it. 

If you were making a chocolate cream pie then you would include cocoa or chocolate in some form.

There are many recipes to choose from and you can go on line and see all that are available.  But when I make a nine inch pie I ususally use a base of:

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 large egg yolks

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 - 2 tablespoons butter

1/2 - 1 teaspoon flavoring

All the ingredients (minus the butter and flavoring) are placed in a saucepan and stirred with a whisk .

A whisk is essential to getting the sauce creamy and smooth.  The custard will need to be stirred semi-frequently initially and then as the mixture comes to a boil it has to be stirred more vigorously and constantly.  It needs to cook for a minute or two or until the starchy taste dissipates.  You then remove from the heat and stir in the flavoring and butter.

The filling is poured into a prebaked, cooled crust - no need to cool the filling unless it is going over bananas.  Notice that the crust has been docked (poked with the tines of a fork) before baking which helps minimize shrinkage.

Once the filling is in the pie plate immediately cover it with plastic film. 

Smooth the top with your fingers and then take to the fridge to cool. 

The plastic film prevents the top of the filling from forming a “skin” and keeps it moist and creamy.  (This is the chocolate filling after the plastic has been removed and is ready for whipped cream).

The cream filling should be completed a day ahead or at least early in the day so it has plenty of time to set and chill. 

If you do have to rush things you can help your filling cool by placing it in an ice water bath and stirring it frequently to help cool it more quickly. 

A few hours before serving whip your cream (usually one cup per nine inch pie) and sweeten it with one or two tablespoons of powdered sugar and flavoring, if you are using some. 

The great thing about this custard base is that it can be adapted to several flavors. 

For coconut cream: add 3/4 cup flaked coconut to the filling after it is cooked and if you want to add coconut extract to the filling you can do that as well.  Top it with cream and then garnish with toasted coconut.

For chocolate cream:  include a heaping 1/3 cup of cocoa  with the sugar and vanilla OR you can use 2/3 cup of real semisweet chocolate chips (the equivalent of 3 ounces)  OR you can substitute some of the chips for an unsweetened square of chocolate for a richer, deeper chocolate flavor.  If you are using the “solid chocolates” then melt them gently and VERY CAREFULLY in the micorwave first and includ them to the custard filling as it begins to cook.  You can also use brown sugar instead of white for a fudgier taste.  When making the cream for this pie you can use almond flavoring for a special touch and then garnish this with the chocolate curls.

For banana cream:  see an earlier post for specifics about this pie.

For pudding instead of pie filling:  use only 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.  That modification makes it a little less stiff. 

The cream pies are just fun to play around with.  You will have leftover whites which you can scramble with whole eggs for breakfast, or make an angel food cake or Pavlova which is a meringue dessert we’ll have to talk about sometime but you can check out on line.  There are always uses for the whites and they can be frozen and accumulated for such uses.

I remember the first time I tasted kettle korn, which was years ago.  We were at a craft fair (no I’m not really into crafts), but it was the 4th of July and at one of the booths a gentleman was stirring a huge kettle of corn.  We were intrigued and since my husband and I both love popcorn we bought a bag.  We fought over every last kernel and have been hooked ever since.  What makes kettle korn so addictive is the combination of salty and sweet.  Most palates loves to be teased like that.

But of course, being the chef and frugal person that I am, I was not about to resign myself to a lifetime of purchasing this korn.  I had to figure out how to make it myself.   So the quest began and after a few less than perfect batches I discovered what I think is the perfect combination of ingredients.  In fact I prefer my recipe to many store-bought brands.

Here is the correct ratio of ingredients:

1 generous tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 heaping tablespoon of sugar

3 full tablespoons of popcorn

(salt to taste, after popped)

This small batch makes just enough for my husband and I and should be made in a very small saucepan (about a 6 cup pan, no bigger).  If you double the recipe increase the pan size.

Directions: Combine oil, sugar and popcorn in pan, cover with a lid and take to a screaming hot burner.  Set it on the burner and move it gently back and forth to keep the kernels moving.  Continue that action even as it pops.

As popping slows down and then stops, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.  It is at this point that you sprinkle it with salt and toss it with a spoon.  Taste the korn.  If you need to add more salt, do so.  Remember that it is the contrast between the two that makes this good so don’t be too skimpy with the salt.

Popcorn tip:  it is so easy for kernels of corn to get “old” and lose their poppability.  Here’s the link to my radio website with some great information on rehydrating those kernels because the good news is…they can be revived!  Check this out (still struggling with linking):

http://132.178.236.111/information/FFT/recipes/Popcorn,%20Rehydrating%20Kernals-2005-12-14.asp

Last Sunday when the family came over for dinner my son Paul was filling the glasses with ice and water and I apologized in advance that the ice cubes had a “freezer” taste.  My husband and I will frequently go out of town for several days and during that time the drawer of ice gets full and the cubes take on the taste of whatever lies in the freezer.  So that particular Sunday the cubes had been accumulating for a couple of weeks and did have an off taste but I thought that would be preferable to room temperature water… anyhow…

Paul turned to me and said he had a cure for that.  He threw all the cubes in a picture and filled it with cold water and then quickly drained it.  I think he may have done that a second time just to make sure any trace of the freezer was gone.  It worked!  Now I don’t have to throw out ice cubes after being out of town and if I were really smart I would simply lift the wire lever on the ice machine that stops production completely.  That would truly be the energy efficient thing to do.  So…from now on I’m doing just that.  But rinsing the ice cubes is my back up in case I forget.

Since we’re on the topic of ice cubes my radio website has some ideas on how to flavor water and other beverages with interesting ice cubes.  Visit this page for more info on flavored ice cubes.

This is a favorite pizza of mine and was inspired by the popular salad using pears, pistachios and gorgonzola.  The combination of flavors is so interesting I thought…why not turn it into a pizza. In a nutshell…the pizza consists of a roasted garlic aioli as a base on the crust, pears, pistachios (or some nut), prosciutto (or some salted meat), gorgonzola cheese, mozarella and some basil dressing (or something similar). 

What caused me to think about this pizza at this particular time is that I found myself with some leftover summer sausage.  I wanted to use it up and so I used it in place of the prosciutto.  It isn’t quite pear season so I resorted to the canned and I didn’t have pistachios so I used lightly toasted pecans.  This is how I cook…substitute everything.

I typically have grilled pizza crusts on hand and so I started with those.  You can buy store bought or really use any crust that you like.

Spread some aioli (refer to post on how to make roasted garlic aioli). 

Next you can use your prosciutto or cured meat.  I’m using the summer sausage cut in small dices.  You can omit the sausage if you prefer a meatless pizza.  Just use extra nuts and gorgonzola. 

continue by adding nuts….

Then you add the pears.  This step is rather critical.  You will want a substantial slice of pear to offer enough pear flavor.  If there are good, ripe pears in season those of course would be your first choice but if the fresh are not ripe then you should resort to the canned. 

Place a good number of pear slices in a concentrical circle around the crust.

Then the gorgonzola and mozarella.  I like to finish the whole thing with a drizzle of homemade basil dressing but I’m sure there are many store bought dressings that would provide the same “bite” that the basil does.  Take to preheated 400 oven and let them bake until the cheese is melted and golden around the edges.  Cut and serve.