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Boston Cream Pie to Get Flay Treatment, Opponent’s Weapon Is Tons of Custard

Boston cream pie: A tempting mistress.
Boston cream pie: A tempting mistress. Photo: istockphoto

With so much hullabaloo surrounding whoopie pies lately (who made them first? are they the new cupcake?), we’re happy to report a positive pie story. Boston cream pies are Massachusetts’ official dessert, and Bread & Chocolate owner Eunice Feller’s going up against Bobby Flay next month to show him how the treat is really made. In the meantime, she told the Globe some interesting secrets about this sugary delight. Pie, straight ahead.

Apparently, the cardinal sin of cream-pie-concocting is custard wimpiness. People are loath to overdo it on the custard, but that’s what makes Boston cream pie so gosh darn tasty! “It’s always about how to maximize the amount of custard,” Feller insists. Always!

Moreover, creativity is key. To go up against Bobby Flay, she’s decided to take liberties with her pie by adding infusions of thyme and orange. (We’re having visions of Flay bathing his pie in hot sauce and declaring himself a winner.)

Last but not least, modesty is key. Feller has never encountered a celebrity chef (besides Flay, that is) and has a healthy perspective on the whole every-chef-will-be-famous-for-15-minutes thing. “When I hire young chefs, I tell them, ‘We’re not here to get famous, we’re not here to be celebrity chefs or compete on cooking shows on the Food Network. We’re here to be the best neighborhood bakery possible.’”

Of course, she’s eating her words a bit now. Her custard-filled, orange-scented pie debuts on televisions nationwide March 9.

Keeping Her Eye on the Pie [Globe]

Related: Pie Fight: Who Made Whoopies First?

Boston Cream Pie to Get Flay Treatment, Opponent’s Weapon Is Tons of Custard