Boston cream pies

                                    

                                     Sponge cake

                                     80gr                                                                sugar

                                     68gr                                                                cornstarch

                                     68gr                                                                bread flour

                                     5                                                                     egg yolks

                                     190gr                                                              egg whites
                                     1                                                                     zested orange 

 

                                     Pastry cream

                                     480ml                                                              milk

                                     35gr                                                                cornstarch

                                     115gr                                                               granulated sugar

                                      2                                                                    eggs

                                     55gr                                                                 butter, room temperature

                                     1/2                                                                  vanilla pod

                                     1/4tsp                                                             salt

 

                                    Chocolate glaze

                                    182gr                                                                sweet dark chocolate

                                    56gr                                                                  butter

                                    16gr                                                                  cocoa powder

                                    24gr                                                                  dark rum

                                    102gr                                                                 honey

 
For the pastry cream heat the milk with the vanilla seeds and pod and whisk eggs with sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a bowl until smooth. Just before the milk starts to boil, slowly pour one third of it in the egg mixture whisking rapidly and then return it to the remaining milk and on medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixtures comes to boil and remove from heat discarding the vanilla pods. Finally incorporate the butter and let cool covered with baking paper before refrigerating. To make the sponge cake combine 34gr of the sugar with half of the cornstarch and shift the rest of it with the flour. Whip the egg yolks with 30gr sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy and whisk the egg whites with the rest of the sugar until foamy. Then lower the mixture speed and gradually add the cornstarch and sugar mixture. Fold half of the egg whites mixture in the yolks, add the flour and then fold in the remaining egg whites.

 

Quickly fill a pastry bag with the batter and pipe 40 5cm wide and 2cm tall balls on parchment paper. Bake at 200C for 10min or until golden brown and let cool. For the glaze melt the chopped chocolate with butter on a bain marie and mix the cocoa powder in the rum until smooth. Add the honey and then stir into the chocolate mixture. If necessary let cool to a quite sticky and thick consistency. Then pair the sponge shells together as bottom and top half and cover the first with piped pastry cream. Hold the top halves with the bottom up and slightly push them against the glaze surface so that it sticks onto but not completely covers the sponge shells. Since they will strongly stick on the glaze, pull them forcefully taking along an excess of glaze that will spread into a smooth surface without dripping. Finally match the tops with their bottoms and optionally finish with a confit decoration.