Editor's note: Use this pastry cream to make Francois Payard's Soufflé of Puff Pastry with Orange-Scented Pastry Cream, Candied Pecans, and Caramel Butter Sauce .
A classic filling for fruit tarts and éclairs, pastry cream is also used as a component in desserts, from napoleons to panini.
Vanilla Pastry Cream: Add a vanilla bean, split lengthwise with a paring knife and seeds scraped, to the milk in step 1. Remove the vanilla bean pod after the pastry cream has cooked.
Rosemary Pastry Cream: Add the finely chopped leaves from 1 sprig fresh rosemary to the milk in step 1 and proceed as directed.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 2 1/2 cups (605 g/21.3 oz) pastry cream
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat.
Step 2
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until pale. Sift the cornstarch into the mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk about one-quarter of the milk into the yolk mixture, then whisk the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens and boils. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until it has completely melted. Scrape the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a stainless steel bowl, set the bowl in an ice bath, and stir frequently until cold. Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate until ready to use.
