Warmer and a fantastic dual-purpose chocolate recipe

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have partly cloudy skies with a glorious high of 44ºF. Winds will be from the W at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight we’ll have partly cloudy skies with a low of 27ºF. Winds will be from the NW at 5 to 10 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 94%, the dew point is 18ºF, outside it’s -6.7ºC and 20.0ºF.

The wind direction is South Southwest between 0.2 MPH and 3.0 MPH, generating a wind chill of 20.0ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 29.57 / HPA 1001.3 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 6:32 a.m. Sunset is 5:14 P.M. Moon rise is at 1:05 a.m., Moon set is 11:08 a.m. and the moon phase is in its last quarter.   

The RAW METAR reading from the airport in Augusta, Maine is:

METAR KAUG 191153Z AUTO 22005KT 10SM CLR 03/M01 A2956 RMK AO2 SLP012 T00331011 10044 21022 53026

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with clear and above-freezing temps!

We didn’t receive any rain or snow here over the past 24 hours.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 80, the solar wind speed is 547 Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Okay, living in New England, no dessert recipe selection would be complete without the following, and it is most definitely NOT low calorie.  But it is a dual use recipe.

BOSTON CREAM PIE (and cupcakes)

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg plus 3 egg yolks, at room temperature

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the filling: In a medium saucepan off-heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in the whole egg and the 3 yolks, and then stir in the milk. Turn the heat on to medium high and cook the mixture, uncovered, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens, 12 to 15 minutes. It will feel very thick.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the cake. Be sure to place the plastic wrap directly onto the custard to prevent a skin from forming.

Make the Cake: 

Prepare any white or yellow cake mix as directed.  For a whole pie, spread batter into 2 round cake pans.  For cupcakes, line a muffin tin with paper or foil liners.  Bake as directed on package.

Make the Ganache Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1 ½ cups chocolate chips

To make the chocolate ganache, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a boil, then immediately remove from the heat. Add the chocolate chips to the cream and stir until completely melted.

Now you Assemble them:

To assemble, place one cake layer on a plate.  Spread the custard filling over the cake, then top with the second layer of cake. Spread the ganache over the top of the cake, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.

For cupcakes, make a deep hole in each cupcake with a cupcake corer or a spoon.  Spoon custard into a zip lock bag, pushing it into a corner.  Snip off the corner and squeeze the custard into the hole in each cupcake.  Spoon the chocolate ganache over each top.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.