What's not to love about donuts? These fried dough balls of perfection come in a box of a dozen and can singlehandedly carry you through a down day. While there are as many donut varieties as there are stars in the sky -- classic chocolate, cake, cruller, maple frosted, blueberry, etc. -- a lot of donut aficionados go for the filled kind.
Jelly donuts like sufganiyot have their own long histories (even being part of religious festivals), but what about the cream-filled kind? Well, if you're going for cream donuts, you have two main choices: Bavarian cream and Boston cream. But while they're similar in a lot of ways, and the process for making them is virtually identical, these two varieties aren't quite the same. While there are multiple points of divergence here -- the ingredients are slightly different and Bavarian cream can be eaten on its own along with being a filling -- the key differencecomes downto one thing in particular: The texture.
Both Boston cream and Bavarian cream are egg custards with a smooth consistency, and both are made by mixing all their ingredients together and whisking like mad, then cooking them on medium heat while stirring continuously. So far, so same.
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But the ingredients themselves present the first difference. Bavarian cream involves milk, eggs, sugar, and often vanilla extract, the same as Boston cream. But then the two ingredient lists diverge: Bavarian cream includes heavy cream and gelatin, while Boston cream involves cornstarch. Though this doesn't have a huge impact on flavor, as both are essentially vanilla custards, the texture varies wildly. The use of heavy cream and gelatin means Bavarian cream sets more thoroughly, creating a thicker, richer consistency. Using only corn starch, meanwhile, means Boston cream is a lot runnier -- but it also has an extremely silky texture that Bavarian cream can't match.
Additionally, they're not even eaten the same way. Bavarian cream doesn't have to be part of a donut or a cake to be consumed; people will just eat bowls of the stuff owing to its thick yet light consistency. If someone did that with Boston cream, they would catch some very sidelong glances. (The other difference when it comes to the donuts is the toppings -- Boston creams are chocolate-glazed while Bavarian creams are topped with powdered sugar -- but we're just talking about the cream here.)
Bavarian Cream Is A Lot Older Than Boston Cream
The origin stories of Bavarian and Boston cream are decidedly different. Germany is a bit of a filled donut haven; there's also the jelly-filled Berliner (aka the thing that people mistakenly believe caused John F. Kennedy to accidentally say "I am a donut" in German that one time). That said, Bavarian cream donuts are undoubtedly more well-known internationally than Berliners -- and they have a correspondingly long history. But Bavarian cream is more often associated with French cooking despite its name; the theory is French chefs at the court of Bavarian rulers in the 17th and 18th centuries learned the recipe there, then brought it back to France. Whatever the case, it's been a French dessert staple for centuries.
Boston cream, meanwhile, has a much more specific, if disputed, origin story. Descended from similar "pudding-cake pies" common to New England and Pennsylvania Dutch territory, it was supposedly created by a French chef named Sanzian (just "Sanzian," like Cher or Pele) at the Parker House Hotel in Boston in the 1850s. There's a debate over this, though; some food historians believe it was mentioned in the New York Herald before the opening of the Parker House, while others think its existence can't be confirmed until decades later in 1878.
Food origin stories tend to be messy, but one thing is certain: Both Bavarian cream and Boston cream are the delight of donut lovers everywhere. Just don't mix them up.
Bavarian creams are custards stiffened with gelatin. Savoury custards are sometimes encountered, the most notable being quiche, a French tart with a filling of custard flavoured with cheese, onions, ham or bacon, or chopped vegetables.
Bavarian cream is stabilized with gelatin. There you have it. Flavor base, enrichment, lightener and stabilizer – the four characteristics that make mousse and Bavarian cream technically similar.
Boston cream pie filling is traditionally made with vanilla pastry cream that tastes similar to a custard or a pudding. It's made with milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla and uses cornstarch to stabilize the mixture. It's cooked on the stove in a pan and is an easy recipe to make.
The doughnut adaptation of the pie is popular not only in Massachusetts but throughout the United States and Canada. Also filled with the same cream, the Bavarian cream doughnut differs from the Boston cream doughnut in that, instead of a chocolate glaze topping, the Bavarian cream doughnut is tossed in powdered sugar.
Bavarian cream involves milk, eggs, sugar, and often vanilla extract, the same as Boston cream. But then the two ingredient lists diverge: Bavarian cream includes heavy cream and gelatin, while Boston cream involves cornstarch.
Our honeymooners are made from our donut dough and topped with a generous spoonful of our fruity pie fillings and surrounded by vanilla icing. CHERRY. APPLE.
A Boston cream pie is a cake with a cream filling. The dessert acquired its name when cakes and pies were baked in the same pans, and the words were used interchangeably. In the late 19th century, this type of cake was variously called a "cream pie", a "chocolate cream pie", or a "custard cake".
But then the two ingredient lists diverge: Bavarian cream includes heavy cream and gelatin, while Boston cream involves cornstarch. Though this doesn't have a huge impact on flavor, as both are essentially vanilla custards, the texture varies wildly.
You should DEFINITELY refrigerate Boston Cream Pie. The pastry cream is highly perishable and will go bad if left out at room temperature for more than an hour or two and it will soften and not be able to support the heavy ganache on top especially after you've started cutting into it.
The boston cream pie's name may be a mystery, but its origins are not. The dessert was first created in 1856 at Boston's famous Parker House Hotel (also the birthplace of Parker House rolls) by Armenian-French chef M. Sanzian.
What is the American equivalent of custard? The US equivalent of custard is custard. We also have pudding which is thicker and more set than custard usually with flour or cornstarch. We do not refer to the dessert course of a meal as pudding.
There are three types of custard: baked, stirred, and frozen. Baked custards include bread pudding, flan, and cheesecake, and are prepared by baking in an oven or water bath. Boiled Custards include beverages like eggnog. Puddings, creme anglaise (krem on-GLAYZ), and pastry cream are some examples of stirred custards.
Bavarian slice differs a little from custard slice or vanilla slice in that it has an extra layer of puff pastry with jam sandwiched between two of them then the layer of custard and another layer of puff pastry. Bavarian slice also has a two tone icing with a chocolate icing swirled through the vanilla icing.
Bavarian Cream Donuts are a classic for a reason. Fried dough rolled in sugar and filled with custard (Pastry Cream + whipped cream), they are a totally irresistible and decadent treat.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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