Holiday Almanac December 17: Boston Cream Pie

For more information on the Holiday Almanac, go here. Or to see what I've been up to on past Holiday Almanac days, check out this page.

I never had a Boston Cream Pie before today, and now I feel like I've been missing out.

Moist, light cake sandwiching a thick layer of vanilla custard, all topped with a dark layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache? Yes, please.

Since the Holiday Almanac recommended using Betty Crocker's Boston Cream Pie mix (which possibly doesn't exist at all anymore, and definitely doesn't exist in a country that only knows Boston as the location of the infamous tea party), I used a Martha Stewart recipe you can find here, which dirtied nearly every bowl I own, but the results were so worth it.

The verdict:

4 spoons out of five. This cake is insanely delicious and a great change of pace after the heavy desserts that tend to pop out this time of year. But I took it down a spoon because I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not going to save well overnight in the fridge and the cake might get soggy.

Holiday Almanac December 16: Chocolate Mallow Fudge

For more information on the Holiday Almanac, go here. Or to see what I've been up to on past Holiday Almanac days, check out this page.

When I was in 6th grade, there was an extra credit science project for my class that involved making two different kinds of fudge with two different methods to show the difference in texture between two different types of igneous rocks.

Despite the fact that my science average that year was something like a 98%, I (of course) wanted to do any project that involved cooking, so I made two batches of fudge and brought them in for my class. But I must have done a terrible job of explaining what the point of the project was (ONE BATCH OF FUDGE WAS COOLED QUICKLY AND SO IT BECAME GRAINY! THE OTHER BATCH COOLED SLOWLY AND WAS THICK SO IT'S TEXTURE WAS DIFFERENT!), because after my whole class had tasted it, I asked my best friend what she thought of it, and her only response was 'well, it tasted kind of... sandy.'

And therein ended all future forays into the world of fudge-making, until this week, when I had to attempt again. My fudge this time around tastes sandy again, despite not having been made with the intention of looking like igneous rock, and it's bitter and somehow too dark, despite being made with a marshmallow base.

The verdict:

1 spoon out of five. Maybe if you like fudge, it would be ok, but I think it's too dark, too bitter, and too grainy. Find yourself a better recipe, or, if you wait long enough, I'm sure I'll find one for you.

The recipe:

Chocolate Mallow Fudge

the directions:

Grease a square pan and set aside.
In a saucepan, combine sugar, butter, milk, and marshmallows.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved and marshmallows are melted.
Boil 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add chocolate, turn heat to low, and stir until partly melted.
Remove from heat and stir quickly until chocolate melts.
Pour into prepared pan and allow to cool.
Cut into squares.

Makes 2 pounds.

the ingredients:

2 c sugar
¼ c butter
¾ c evaporated milk
9 marshmallows, cut into eighths
8 oz semisweet chocolate

Holiday Almanac December 15: Meringue Kisses

For more information on the Holiday Almanac, go here. Or to see what I've been up to on past Holiday Almanac days, check out this page.

Meringues are something I didn't appreciate while living in France, and I don't think I had ever actually had one at all until a dear friend introduced me to them while on a road trip four years ago. How had I missed out for so long? The answer is simple: I grew up in Florida, where the humidity is so bad that there would be no way to keep a meringue crunchy even by the time you got it out of the oven, much less for long enough to take it to a party.

Consequently, I'm still pretty new to the meringue game (though living in the UK is rapidly catching me up: they're a major part of the British dessert scene). This is the first time I've ever made my own, so I defaulted to a Jamie Oliver recipe since I can't buy 'meringue mix' from the supermarket (also, what would that even be? Just a box of powdered egg whites?? Eww).

Before this week, I was never too sure what the texture of a meringue was supposed to be, honestly. But then I did some research, and Martha Stewart, that great oracle of baking usefulness, says that they can be either chewy in the centre or crunchy all the way through. I prefer them chewy, personally, but having never made them and knowing they're a little temperamental, it's nice to know that they can go either way.

Anyway, if you can get your hands on Hershey's Kisses, then make a batch of these mini meringues with Kisses sunken into them and you'll love them.* (And OMG, if you live Stateside and can get those peppermint Hershey's Hugs they sell at Christmas, they would be amaaaaaazing here). But if you live here in the UK, you can either use Dairy Milk Buttons or chocolate chips, either one works!

*Fun fact: In my office, whenever someone goes on vacation, they bring back Hershey's Kisses for the office as a foreign treat. But so far no one has brought them back from the US-- only from Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and Japan.

The verdict:

5 spoons out of five. These are so much easier than I thought they would be, and with only 3 ingredients (plus an optional fourth as garnish), they couldn't be faster or cheaper. Seriously, make these! (Or if you don't need a whole bunch, make one giant one and serve it at your next dinner party topped with whipped cream and fruit. Pavlovas are where it's at!)

The recipe:

Meringue Kisses

(adapted from Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie)

the directions:

Preheat oven to 150C/300F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Separate the eggs very carefully and make sure there are no yolk bits in the whites.
Beat eggs on medium speed until stiff peaks form (in Jamie Oliver's words, you'll know stiff peaks have formed when you can turn the bowl upside down over your head and nothing falls out).
Once this has happened, with the mixer still on, gradually stir in sugar and salt.
Keep mixing on medium-to-high speed for 5-7 minutes until meringue is glossy and smooth.
When mix looks smooth, dip your finger in it and rub to be sure it's totally smooth (this takes awhile).
Be careful not to overmix as meringue will collapse.
Dollop heaping tablespoons onto paper-lined cookie sheets and press chocolate candy into the centre of each meringue.
Use the back of a spoon to cover the chocolate completely with meringue.
Bake meringues for 30-40 minutes until they are firm on the outside, slightly tan, and they lift easily from the parchment.

the ingredients:

3 egg whites
½ c + 2 ½ tbsp sugar
1 large pinch of salt
Handful of Hershey's Kisses or Dairy Milk Buttons (optional)