Warm, rain and a Bostonian treat for dessert

Good Morning Augusta

This morning it’s raining with isolated thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 78ºF. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight we’ll have partly cloudy skies early followed by scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 66ºF. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 96%, the dew point is 59ºF and outside it’s  60.3ºF.

The wind direction is  East Northeast between 0.1 MPH and 0.3 MPH, with a heat index of 63ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 29.60 and falling with a weather graphic indicating rain.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 4:55 a.m. Sunset is 8:27 P.M. Moon rise is 4:40 a.m., Moon set is 7:53 p.m., and the moon phase is waning crescent being 4% illuminated.

The RAW METAR reading from Augusta’s airport this morning is:

SPECI KAUG 231124Z AUTO 00000KT 3SM -RA BR BKN060 BKN080 OVC100 15/14 A2985 RMK AO2 P0007 T01500144

Visibility is 4.0 Miles / 3.8 kilometers with Mostly Cloudy clouds to  6,000 ft / 1,828 m. and mostly cloudy to 8,000 ft / 2,438 m.

We received 0.13 Inches of  rain here over the past 24 hours and more is on the way.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 70, the solar wind speed is 327 Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

I’ve been told that I need to be a bit more “regional” with a recipe or two.  So, since we’re in summery, scenic New England, how about:

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.