Sweet Essentials Crème Pâtissière Pastry Cream Recipes

EASY CREME PATISSIERE RECIPE (PASTRY CREAM)

Steps:

• In a saucepan, pour the milk. Scrape half a vanilla pod with a knife and add the seeds and the pod to the milk. Bring everything to a boil over low heat to infuse the vanilla into the milk.
• Separate the yolks from the whites of 4 eggs, and put them in a bowl. Add 6 tbsp sugar and beat vigorously with a whisk until the mixture turns white and the sugar crystals have dissolved.
• Gradually add 60g (4 tbsp) of cornstarch to the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Mix gently so as not to form lumps.
• Once the mixture is homogeneous, pour half of the vanilla-flavored milk - just boiling - over the cream maker. Mix delicately first, then more vigorously to loosen the cream. When the cream is very soft, pour it back into the saucepan with the remaining half of the milk.
• Return the saucepan to low heat. Constantly whisking until it starts to thicken - this should take about 2 Minutes.
• After you see the first bubbles break the surface. Remove from the heat, pour the custard into a bowl and add the butter. Whisk in the butter until it's thoroughly mixed in and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap.
• As soon as the pastry cream is ready and cooling down, cover your cream with plastic wrap to avoid the creme patissiere form a skin, which will spoil its texture.

HOW TO MAKE PASTRY CREAM (CRèME PâTISSIèRE RECIPE)

Steps:

• In a 2-quart stainless steel saucier, combine milk and scraped vanilla bean along with its seeds. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover to prevent evaporation, and let steep for 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, set up an ice bath by partially filling it with a combination of cold water and ice. Set aside.
• In a medium heatproof mixing bowl set on top of a dampened towel (this serves as a stable base), stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks until mixture is pale yellow, smooth, and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Uncover infused milk and remove vanilla bean (see note). While whisking continuously, slowly pour milk into egg yolk mixture in a thin stream, until all of it has been added.
• Return the mixture to the same saucier. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until pastry cream begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Once it thickens, continue to whisk, pausing every few seconds to check for bubbles, about 1 minute. When it begins to bubble, set a timer and continue whisking for 1 minute. This step is important to neutralize a starch-dissolving protein found in egg yolks.
• Off-heat, whisk in butter until melted and thoroughly combined. Strain pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a heatproof medium bowl. Immediately place plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer bowl to prepared ice bath to chill for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• When ready to use the pastry cream, whisk until smooth.

CRèME PâTISSIèRE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Mix together the yolks and cream. If you're using a vanilla bean, split it and scrape out the seeds; stir them into the cream mixture.
• Stir the cream-egg mixture into the sugar-cornstarch mixture over medium heat; at first, whisk occasionally to eliminate lumps. Then stir almost constantly until the mixture boils and thickens, about 10 minutes. Continue to cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon; when you draw your finger through this coating, the resulting line will hold its shape.
• Stir in the butter (and vanilla extract if you're using it) and set aside. Cool the pastry cream for a few minutes, then proceed with your recipe or refrigerate, with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.