Desserts
Pastry Cream
The original recipe was shared with us by Eirini, a good friend of ours!
calories
g of fiber
g of added sugar
g of protein
Yield
1 1/4 cup
Serving Size
Prep Time
-
Cook time
-
Total time
-
SUPPLIES
Medium saucepan (not aluminum)
Fine-mesh sieve
Medium mixing bowl
Liquid measuring cup (or kitchen scale)
1/2 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon
Whisk
1 tablespoon
Ladle or large spoon
Knife for butter
Plastic Wrap
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
1
BEFORE YOU START
2
Use the right pan: Use a heavy saucepan (not aluminum). Aluminum can react with yolks and turn the cream gray.
3
Set up your cooling station: Place a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl (this is where the finished custard will be strained).
4
HEAT THE MILK
5
Pour the 1 cup of milk into a heavy saucepan.
6
Split 1/4 vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk (or 1/2 teaspoon of pure extract).
7
Add the 1/8 teaspoon of salt.
8
Heat over medium-high until just under a boil, stirring/whisking occasionally.
9
Important: Milk solids like to stick and scorch. Stir regularly and scrape the bottom. If you see brown/burn spots, taste the milk. If it tastes acrid/burnt, discard it (burned milk can’t be fixed).
10
MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS AND EGG
11
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the 3 tablespoons of sugar + 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
12
Use more cornstarch for a firmer pastry cream (good for certain pies). Use less cornstarch for general pastry cream uses.
13
Add the 1 egg and whisk until completely smooth.
14
TEMPER THE EGGS (SO THEY DON’T CURDLE)
15
When the milk is hot, slowly ladle about one-third of it into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
16
Pour the warmed egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk.
17
COOK UNTIL THICKENED (DON’T OVERCOOK)
18
Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously.
19
Keep cooking until the custard is as thick as lightly whipped cream (about 1 minute, roughly).
20
The custard must come just to the boiling point to fully activate the cornstarch:
• You want to see a few slow bubbles.
• Do not let it boil vigorously—vigorous boiling can curdle the eggs and make the custard grainy.
21
STRAIN IMMEDIATELY
22
Remove from heat and immediately pour the custard through the fine-mesh sieve into your prepared bowl.
• Don’t let it sit in the hot pot—it will keep cooking.
23
COOL BRIEFLY, STIRRING
24
Let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• This releases heat and helps prevent a skin from forming.
25
WHISK IN BUTTER
26
Cut the butter into 2 pieces.
27
When the pastry cream has cooled to about 140°F / 60°C, whisk in the butter one piece at a time.
28
Fully whisk smooth before adding the next piece.
29
Cover to prevent a skin, then chill.
• Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream (touching the cream) to prevent a skin.
30
Refrigerate until cold.
• For faster cooling: spread in a shallow dish and press plastic wrap directly on top.
NOTES
Eirini made this recipe for us at Theo's 30th birthday cabin trip. We had it with breakfast, and it was delicious!
Pastry cream (crème pâtissière) is a versatile custard used in many desserts, from éclairs and cream puffs to fruit tarts and mille-feuille.
This recipe calls for whole eggs, which makes a lighter cream than some traditional French versions that call for only yolks.
Storage + troubleshooting notes
Don’t overwhisk once cold: Overmixing can break down the starch and thin the cream.
If slightly grainy: You can try smoothing with an immersion blender or countertop blender, but it may not fully fix it.
Keeps up to 5 days in the refrigerator, well covered.
This is the link to the recipe I referenced to curate this version. I mostly tweak the ingredients and simplify the directions.
