Cloudy, mild and Boston Cream Pies and cupcakes!

Good Morning Augusta

This morning we have cloudy skies with occasional showers this afternoon. High of 66ºF. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Tonight we’ll have periods of rain and a low of 62 ºF. Winds will be from the SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100% with rainfall near half an inch.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 98%, the Dew Point is 60.1ºF and the outdoor temp is 60.6ºF.

The wind direction is  South Southwest between 0.0 MPH and 2.5 MPH, with a wind chill of 60.6ºF.

The Relative pressure is 29.93, the Absolute pressure is 29.73 and falling with a weather graphic indicating rain.

The UV rating is 1 out of 16, Sunrise is 7:05 a.m. Sunset is 5:39 P.M. Moon rise is 11:28 p.m., Moon set is 9:05 p.m., and the moon phase is waxing crescent being 20% illuminated.

The RAW METAR readings from Augusta’s airport are:

METAR KAUG 241153Z AUTO 16008KT 7SM FEW010 BKN075 15/14 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP192 60002

Visibility is 7.0 Miles / 11.3 kilometers with clouds 1000 ft / 304 m. and mostly Cloudy skies to 7,500 ft / 2,286 m

We received 0.5 inches of rain here over the past 24 hours. 

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today’s Solar flux is 84, the solar wind speed is 490 Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Today’s recipe is without a doubt a New England necessity. Celebrate your New England heritage and make some!

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.