A Misnomer

     One of the most familiar geographic desserts is actually a misnomer.  Boston Cream Pie isn't a pie at all, it is actually a cake.  It is a direct descendant of the Colonial "pudding-cake pie" known throughout New England and was first introduced at the famed Parker House Hotel in 1856 as the "Parker House Chocolate Cream Pie."

     It was the creation of a French chef at the hotel, a man by the name of Sanzian.  His talents were extraordinary as exemplified by his annual salary of $5,000.  A good chef in Bean Town at that time was earning about $8 a week or a little over $400 a year.  He planned and carried out grand meals at the hotel and was known for his impressive creations.  But no doubt the Boston Cream Pie was his best known success.  He simply took two layers of yellow sponge cake and filled in between them with vanilla custard then topped it all with a chocolate glaze.  And that simple recipe has endured and flourished.  It was so popular that it became a Betty Crocker box mix in 1958.  And in 1996 it became the official dessert of the Bay State.