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The Welcome Home Good Things & Recipes
October 20, 2004

Good Morning, dear Sisters~~~
I am thinking of you this bright morning as I pray you're walking hand in Hand with the LORD and that He is your help and encouragement today. I often pray for the needs of sisters who receive this letter and the LORD continually brings different ones to mind. I trust He is the joy and rejoicing of your heart no matter what this day holds for you in terms of the day to day struggles, sorrows, difficulties, joys and triumphs.

My mom has been on "holiday" in the New England area and asked me to be sure to prepare some family favourites when she returns home with Aunt Martha next week. When she was a little girl, my grandmother made Parker House rolls and Boston Cream pie dreaming of the elegance of the hotel that made them famous; and these have been two of her favourite recipes all through the years. While my grandmother only imagined dining at the Parker House in Boston, my mother's dream was fulfilled last week when she and Aunt Martha had a special dinner there---which included those childhood favourites:
Parker House Rolls and Boston Cream Pie. I'm more than pleased that she was
not disappointed when dining there, tasting the "real thing." For her
Birthday in times past, I've made her Boston Cream Pie and so now, I hope she'll not be disappointed in the future when the dessert is prepared here at home. I have a dream of one day going for a visit to the New England states and our nation's Capitol and perhaps one day, I too, will dine at the Parker House. Though I always know, home is the best place to be.


Parker House Rolls
Parker House Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts

6 cups all-purpose flour (about)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 large egg

In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast; add 1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick). With mixer at low speed, gradually pour 2 cups hot tap water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F.) into dry ingredients.
Add egg; increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in 3/4 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter; continue beating 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in enough additional flour (about 2 1/2 cups) to make a soft dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, working in more flour (about 1/2 cup) while kneading.
Shape dough into a ball and place in greased large bowl, turning over so that top of dough is greased. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees F.) until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough is doubled when 2 fingers pressed into dough leave a dent.) Punch down dough by pushing down the center or dough with fist, then pushing edges of dough into center. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead lightly to make smooth ball, cover
with bowl for 15 minutes, and let dough rest. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
F.

In 17 1/4-inch by 11 1/2-inch roasting pan, over low heat, melt remaining
1/2 cup margarine or butter; tilt pan to grease bottom. On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. With floured 2 3/4-inch round cutter, cut dough into circles. Holding dough circle by the edge, dip both sides into melted margarine or butter pan; fold in half.
Arrange folded dough in rows in pans, each nearly touching the other. Cover pan with towel; let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes. Bake rolls for 15 to 18 minutes until browned.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Parker House Boston Cream Pie
Makes 10 servings [Read the process thoroughly before you being preparing this dessert]

New England is not only the birthplace of the diner but also of Boston Cream Pie. Originating in the early nineteenth century, Boston Pie, as it was then called, was a plain two layer sponge cake filled with a vanilla custard. In 1855, a German-born pastry chef at Boston's Parker House Hotel spruced up the classic cake by adding a luscious chocolate glaze topping and the dessert (now known as Boston Cream Pie) has remained popular to this day. In keeping with the diner tradition of tall cakes, my version consists of four layers filled with a deliciously light custard, leaving you to declare, "Who cares if they call it a pie when it's really a cake?"

Custard filling
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Sponge Cake
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter,
    melted and cooled

3/4 cup heavy cream
Chocolate Glaze
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
   or instant coffee crystals
2 teaspoons hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
To make the custard filling, in a medium bowl, whisk together the
yolks, sugar, and cornstarch; set aside.

 In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a gentle boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the yolk mixture.  Return the entire mixture to the saucepan containing the remaining milk.  Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Continue to boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thick. Remove the pan from the heat, scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter pieces until melted. Whisk in the vanilla. Quickly strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours, or until well chilled.

For the cake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour and tap out the excess.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water---you may want to use a double boiler. Heat the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the eggs are warm. Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer stand and, using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture has tripled in volume.
Reduce the speed to low and beat in lemon zest and vanilla.

Sift a third of the flour mixture over the batter and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula. In two more additions, sift in the remaining flour mixture, again folding in gently. Place the melted butter in a small bowl.   Scoop about 1/2 cup of the cake batter into the bowl and stir until blended.   Gently Fold this mixture into the remaining cake batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and smooth the tops with the spatula.

Bake the cakes for 28 to 30 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes.   Invert the cakes onto the racks and cool completely. Then assemble the cake, using a long, serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half horizontally.


Remove the custard filling from the refrigerator and whisk until smooth.  In an electric mixer set on high speed, beat the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold one-third of the whipped cream into the custard and then fold in the remaining cream.

Place 1 cake layer, cut side up, on a serving plate. Scrape about 1 cup of the custard filling onto the layer and, using a small offset metal spatula, spread it into an even layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers and filling, ending with a cake layer. Refrigerate the cake while you're preparing the chocolate glaze.


Chocolate glaze: Place the chocolate and the cream in a medium bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, again making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Heat the mixture, stirring often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Don't get water into the mixture.

In a small container, dissolve the espresso powder or instant coffee in the hot water. Stir the coffee mixture and vanilla into the chocolate glaze.

Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Pour the warm glaze over the top of the cake, allowing some of it to drizzle down the sides. Serve the cake immediately, or refrigerate until 1/2 hour before serving.


God Bless you in your home. Until next time...
With love, In Jesus--------pamela

©2004  A Christian Home


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