In Italy we use the English word dessert to indicate the course served at the end of a meal. From the dictionary I learned that dessert comes from the past participle of the French verb desservir, which means to clear the table, from des- (indicating removal) and servir (to serve). It is indeed true that we clear the table to make room for eating vessels and implements needed to enjoy the parting dish.
The title of this post is my translation of Mary of Alpineberry‘s choice for this month Daring Bakers’ challenge: Bostini Cream Pie. Make sure you read the recipe for this sumptuous dessert and use the Daring Bakers blogroll to guide you to look at the masterpieces that were made this month around the world by my fellow darers.
According to my English-Italian dictionary, the word chiffon refers to a type of fabric and also (in America) to a dolce spumoso e leggero, a base di albume d’uovo (light cake made with egg whites). The creamy portion of the dessert was mostly made of cream (panna), plus some milk and lots of egg yolks (tuorli), and its consistency was quite fluid, even with the addition of cornstarch (amido di mais). In Italy we usually make crema with milk only. If there is no thickener, we call it crema inglese, and if we add flour we get crema pasticcera. When we add panna montata (whipped cream) to crema, the result is crema Chantilly. The glaze was made of cioccolato amaro e burro (bittersweet chocolate and butter) in equal parts.
The challenge for me was finding the time and space to make the recipe right after coming back from a three-week trip to Italy and while packing the house for an impending move (in two days’). The other part of the challenge was to get the right cooking and eating vessels for the dessert. The recipe, and Mary’s additional notes, left a certain degree of freedom in this respect. I made a trip to the Sur La Table store in Berkeley to get what I needed. I ended up buying a rather irrational mix of things: an adorable set of four small loaf pans and three sets of four custard cups of different shapes.
For messy me, damage control is always a good part of the challenge of cooking and this time was no exception. The first batch of crema went to feed creatures living downstream, when I realized I had overstepped the fine boundary between ready and impazzita (literally gone mad, in this context means curdled) due mostly to my insidious multi-tasking bent. I was quite sorry about the mishap, because I had used all my vanilla sugar to make the ill-fated custard.
The second attempt was successful and I filled all the 12 small vessels with the aromatic hot crema. Making the orange-flavored chiffon cake was molto divertente (a lot of fun). To match the motley crew of custard vessels, I chose to bake the mini-cakes in the four small loaf pans and in the six large muffin tins I had. The little crisis came when I realized I had more batter than containers ready to accept it. Be creative, I said to myself. I grabbed two English muffin rings and a loaf pan and proceeded to empty the bowl of batter into the space delimited by the rings. The 12 mini-cakes of various shapes had the graciousness of cooking pretty much all in the same time frame, the 25 minutes specified by the recipe.
There is no way that a two-person family like ours can eat 12 portions of torta chiffon con crema alla vaniglia e glassa al cioccolato, so I decided to have a little dessert party, for which I gathered around our outdoor table the nice people who were doing various works around our soon-to-be-sold house. This, however, occurred after my husband, who is the manager of my quality assurance department, gave his seal of approval to the first completely assembled portion.
Many thanks to Mary for hosting the October challenge. By the way, I have had some of the chiffon cake by itself and it is delicious, so if you do not feel like executing the recipe in all its parts, make just the cake and you will be glad you did.
Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:
torta chiffon con crema alla vaniglia e glassa al cioccolato
or launch the torta chiffon con crema alla vaniglia e glassa al cioccolato audio file [mp3].
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Smart to make a party with it, they must all love you after eating it!
I agree, the chiffon cake alone is worth making, well done!
A dessert party is the very best kind of party, in my opinion! Your Bostinis certainly look lovely, and your cake looks like it has a perfect texture…great job! 🙂
Beautiful Simona! The chiffon was my favorite part too. I’d like to try it w/just fruit and creme fraiche.
Oh beautiful Simona, shopping, multi-tasking, have to start all over, oh my. Smart idea to have a party. I don’t think my neighbors make desserts anymore, they just wait for delivery!
Excellent idea to have a dessert party! Your Bostini turned out beautifully!
Congrats on your first challenge!
xoxo
I loved this post. Somehow, the Italian version of Bostini just sounds more elegant. And the pronunciation aide is wonderful! Excellent job on your Bostinis. I’m sure the people at your dessert party approved.
I had to cut back on the recipe because there are only 2 of us – although my husband would have gladly eaten more!! Great job on your Bostinis!!
There was just too much of it haha Hope you had fun :)Good luck on your move, Simona.
Thanks everybody for your feedback.
Regarding the dessert party: I have organized a few as fund raisers in the past, though not this year. They were always fun, so I highly recommend them.
Regarding the move: we are moving most of our belongings from Berkeley to Humboldt county, but we are keeping a foot in the Bay Area, so some of our things are staying, just to make the matter more complicated.
Brilliant idea of the party to help shift all those desserts, especially with an impending moving. Molto intellegente!
Your bostini look great
Great job on the Bostini’s! They look wonderful!
Simona, you are a trooper! Just home fr/ holiday, participating in WHB and Daring Bakers AND a household move. Whew! Take care of yourself. Your mini cakes look like they were a sweet success.
Well done!
I just love the Italian language! It sounds so beautiful in Italian … your desserts are beautiful!
Thanks everybody for stopping by. I agree that the Italian words sound nice, though the reference to Boston is lost.
Susan, I have to admit I am a bit stressed out about the whole situation, so I have to remind myself to breathe deeply and stop worrying to much. Back to work now!
This is such a lovely dessert! You have done an excellent job with it!
I love the oval shape of your dishes.
I love that you had a party to share the bostinis! Brilliant idea and they look great too.
Your pies look divine and don’t you just love that baking brings people together? 🙂
Dolce da svenimento!!!
You’re not the only one; I think many custards went awry during multi-tasking mode! All your lovely little dishes are wonderful–I think you chose well. The dessert looks wonderful in them. And again, I’m enjoying the Italian lesson!
Thanks you all!
Those oval dishes look cute: in fact, I may get a few more.
Bringing people together around a decked table is fun and warms the heart.
Glad you like the little Italian lesson I add to my posts: it is fun to make it.
Ciao Alex: esattamente, da svenimento. Direi per occasioni speciali.
Those lucky people to enjoy the fruits of your labor. I like the idea of the different shapes. I also like your husband’s title. 😉
Paz
I can’t think of a better excuse to throw an impromptu party. Thanks for doing a great job with the challenge and good luck with your move.
Love the way you combine Italian and the English words. I look forward to baking more challenges with you! Great job!!
I am so impressed, Simona! I knew you could make this or any dessert that you set your mind to, but to do it while you’re packing up boxes to make an impending move? No, I’m truly impressed!
Your Bostinis are beautiful. Are you bringing any with you? 🙂
Lovely pictures! This is a perfect dessert for a dinner party because it can be made into many servings.
I hope your move goes well.
Buonissima questa torta e molto elegante: complimenti. Ciao
Thanks everybody for the good wishes on the move: I am in the middle of a box whirlwind as I type.
Paz, my husband is quite happy with his title.
This batch of Bostini is gone, Christine, but I can always make more for my Humboldt friends.
Ciao Lenny e grazie. La torta e’ davvero buona.
I love how you’ve named this dessert in Italian. It is all that more special!
Your bostinis are gorgeous.
I love discovering what the challenge is for each of us — and learning that it is often different for each of us. I am glad you were able to find the time to join us this month. Congratulations on a beautiful Bostini!
I like the ramekins you used – your bostini look so elegant! By the way, I’m so glad you read my EEB article and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks Julius: I had fun naming the dessert in Italian.
I agree with you Dolores: it is interesting to read what was easy and difficult for each of us.
I will always remember this challenge by looking at the ramekins I bought for it.
Complimenti Simona molto carino il tuo blog, see you soon
Simona, fab post as usual!
I already told you, but you really do a great work with your Briciole! Brilliant!I mean it!
I hope I’ll cope as good as you with my move. I’m already in stress ^_=
kusje Wonder Simona! ^.^
Donatella
good for you doing the challenge right before a move! That is what I would call Daring!
I love all of the various baking dishes; so sweet! And your chiffon cake looks scrumptious. I can well imagine that even the cake alone would be delicious.
Oh — and I, too, have turned what was to have been whipped cream into a butter-like substance! So sad.
Ciao Ady e grazie infinite per il complimento.
Thanks fabdo for your kind words and the nomination. I am a bit nervous about all the stuff currently piled up around the house, but the sun is shining over the ocean and I think we will sort things out eventually.
Thanks Jenny!
Hi Lisa. I am planning to redo the chiffon cake soon using the small loaf pans and muffin tins. I love the strong orange flavor.
It looks great! And don’t worry – now you’ll know how to make fresh butter some day when you need to. 🙂
Excellent idea dessert party! I love the picture of the half Bostini in the oval Baker.
xoxo
I am actually seriously meditating about making butter.
Thanks Gabi!
Yeah, we had a ton left over and I halved it…there are only 2 of us too!