January 7, 2011
It is the Tall One's birthday, and Gentle Readers will remember that Boston Cream Pie is our choice for family birthday cakes. Mostly because chocolate and vanilla custard are good on just about anything. I will disappoint the real food enthusiasts when I say that I use vanilla cake mix and instant vanilla pudding (don't narc me to Mia and Gloria from Crimes Against Food). And, the truth may be in the pudding most of the time, but with us it is the chocolate glaze. The glaze makes the Boston Cream Pie.

3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
1 generous dollop (tablespoon, perhaps?) bourbon or brandy

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a small sauce pan, stirring, stirring, stirring over a low heat. Stir in the bourbon. Pour over the cooled pie. Deeelish.

I don't use all the cake batter in one Boston Cream Pie. I use a little more than half the batter in one round cake pan. I use the rest to make cupcakes. This year for Christmas I made Fairy Cakes in some wonderful, shallow and wide European papers. Apparently they were quite tasty, but I never got to eat one myself. Charles scarfed up quite a few, perhaps because Camilla decided to spend Boxing Day with her own children and grandchildren. She had had quite enough of the nuptial nonsense and wanted to put on a pair of blue jeans and read a good book. And smoke, for goodness sake, if we are intent upon telling the truth today...

“All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much.”
George Harrison

Happy Birthday, Tall One!