Today's cake hour was supposed to be another of those delectable home prepared European treats that we get all excited about. Instead our friend opted to buy something having apparently not having had the time to prepare something from the heart. Oh well we will have to wait for the next time. Instead we got a Boston Cream Pie. This of course looks like a cake because a Boston Cream Pie isn't really a pie it's a two layer yellow cake with a pastry cream filling and molten chocolate on the top. It is one of America's classic desserts that originated at the Parker House hotel in Boston hence the name. They always have done things a little different in Boston so maybe that's why they called it a pie. Perhaps also because it is usually not as well put together as a cake and the frosting does not cover the whole thing so you can see the pastry cream layer. Whatever, it's a Boston Cream Pie.
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| It's not European it's Boston! |
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| As you can see it is really a cake! |
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| Nice layer of pastry cream visible at the edges! |
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| What's that dollop of white on the top? |
This one was very good the cake was moist, the pastry cream fresh and the chocolate frosting just as it should be. It is usually allowed to drool over the edges of the cake so to speak and this one did so although more heavily on one side. Maybe they set is some place slanted. They could have been a bit more generous with the pastry cream but then this particular version would have been pretty tall. The layer was much thicker around the edge of the cake than in the middle. This one has a special dollop or what appeared to be butter cream frosting on the top; a little bit like you see on a cupcake these days. This was really dense and much heavier than the chocolate. Someone remarked that it looked a little like poop except that it was white. Our clever person then explained that it must be angel poop then. You have angel cake, angel hair - now angel poop. Fortunately that part of the conversation did not go very far.
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| The chocolate drips for effect - at least on one side! |
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| Heavy on the cake a little light on the cream inside! |
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| Angel Poop? |
The lab is located in a part of Providence known as the Jewelry District. At one point there were a large number of jewelry factories in the area and it was the largest area for the production of costume jewelry in the country. Speidel watch bands and Imperial Knives were also manufactured here. Apparently we no longer work in the Jewelry District. It has now been designated the "Knowledge District." With Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital and Johnson and Wales taking up more and more of the property and with the new Brown Medical School likewise in an old jewelry factory I guess it was time for a rebranding. In addition the removal of the old Interstate 195 elevated road has freed up a ton of land for development and the above referenced institutions certainly would like to get a piece of the action. The story made it into the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/realestate/commercial/providence-makes-itself-a-home-for-knowledge.html?pagewanted=all
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| Aerial View of the "Knowledge District" |
We think "Knowledge District"is a bit pretentious and thought it would have been more fun if they did like in New York with SoHo or TriBeCa. Since the first major street north of here is Weybosset we could have called this area SoWey. "Hey, I moved to SoWay from the East Side!" Since it is also south of Washington Street someone joked it could be the SoWhat district. In truth despite the new moniker we will stick with the historical reference and continue to call it the Jewelry District.
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This won't be the Knowledge District Association anytime soon, we gather!
Long live the Jewelry District! |
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