Greek Custard Cream Thick Pastry Cream Food

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.

GREEK CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and the squeezed lemon (not the juice. Keep the juice for other use) to a boil. Don't stir it. Simmer over low heat for 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and disregard the squeezed lemon. Cover the pot and set aside.
• Keep one cup (250ml) of milk and ½ cup (100g) sugar aside. In a large heavy-bottomed pot heat the remaining milk and sugar along with thezest, the vanilla extract and the cinnamon stick over medium heat.
• In a small bowl using a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer) beat the eggs and the egg yolks for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup(100g) sugar and beat until it dissolves. Make sure the sugar is dissolved by rubbing a small amount of mixture in between your fingers. Add the semolina gradually and beat until combined. Finally add the remaining 1 cup (250ml) milk and beat for 2-3 minutes.
• Using a small ladle take some of the warm milk and add it to the egg-sugar-semolina mixture while stirring gently. Repeat until the mixture's temperature slightly rises. Pour the egg-sugar-semolina mixture into the warm milk and stir gently but constantly until small bubbles form around the edges. This may take up to 15 minutes or so. Remove from the heat.
• Disregard the cinnamon stick. Using a fork or knife melt the cold butter over the surface of the custard. Don't emerge the butter into the custard. Just brush gently and evenly all over the top with the butter and let the heat melt it. Your purpose is to create a buttered layer and keep the custard's surface from crusting. Let it aside to cool. When you will be ready to pour thescustard in the baking pan, you will stir well to incorporate the butter intosthe mixture.
• Melt the butter. Don't burn it. Let it aside to cool at roomtemperature.
• Follow the instructions in the post above and find out how to handle frozen and fresh phyllo pastry.
• Grease a 13 to 15-inch (35cm to 38cm) round baking dish/pan or a 15x11-inch (38×28 cm) rectangular. Layer the bottom of the pan with thefirst phyllo sheet and lightly press the sheet into the sides and corner andlet the edges hang over the top. Brush it with the melted butter. Place thesecond sheet crossways and brush it with butter as well. Repeat for another 5sheets. We need totally 7 sheets for the bottom, placed crossways and brushedwith melted butter. Don't worry about the overhanging phyllo because you willfold it over to cover the pie.
• Pour the cool custard over the bottom sheets and spread to the sides. Fold the pastry inwards over the custard. Layer 5 more phyllo sheets on top of the custard as you did the bottom, continuing to brush melted butter between layers. Don't forget to brush the sides and the overhanging parts too. Using a knife cut the excessive overhanging phyllo. Roll the edges down using your pastry brush to push them underneath the pan. Liberally brush the top and the edge with the rest of the butter.
• Score the top of the pie into pieces. Cut only the top sheets and don't touch the bottom at all.
• Sprinkle with water and bake at 356°F (180°C) on the bottom rack for about 1 hour, until golden. Remove the pie from the oven and using a big spoon or a small ladle pour the cool syrup evenly and really slowly overthe entire pie*.
• Allow the pie to sit for at least 1 hour before serving so that the syrup is absorbed. Serve warm and store leftover pie in the refrigeratorfor up to 5 days.

THICK PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• 1. Set a clean, dry, nonreactive bowl and a sturdy rubber spatula near the stove. Put a large, fine strainer over a large bowlm ready to pour hot pastry cream through it.
• 2. In another bowl, mix the flour with 1 cup of the sugar. Whisk in the eggs until smooth. The mixture will be very thick.
• 3. In a 2 1/2- to 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, mix the milk, the remaining cup of sugar, and the salt. Scald over medium heat, stirring frequently so it doesn't scorch or form a skin. When the milk has a ring of small bubbles around the edge of the pan, remove it from the heat and, with a whisk, stir 1 cup of the milk, a little at a time, into the flour and egg mixture. Whisk in another cup of hot milk, then pour the now-tempered flour and egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking constantly. Still whisking constantly, but slowly, over medium to medium-low heat, cook the mixture until it thickens, Pull it off the heat at the first sign of a boil - as soon as the first bubble breaks on the surface. This will take about 5 minutes.
• 4. Immediately pour the hot pastry cream through the strainer and into the bowl, using the spatula to remove it all from the pan and to push it through the sieve. Stir in the vanilla.
• 5. Cover the very surface of the cream with wax paper or plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least several hours, or until chilled. Pastry cream can be kept refrigerated for several days, sometimes up to a week, depending on the efficiency of the refrigeration.

PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.
• When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

SKINNY CREAMY CUSTARDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325° F. To caramelize sugar: In an 8-inch heavy skillet, cook 1/3 cup sugar over medium-high heat until sugar starts to melt, shaking skillet occasionally to heat sugar evenly. Do not stir. Once sugar starts to melt, reduce heat to low. Cook about 5 minutes or until all of the sugar is melted and golden brown, stirring as needed with a wooden spoon.
• Immediately divide caramelized sugar among four 6-ounce custard cups; tilt cups to coat bottoms evenly. Cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine eggs, yogurt, 1/3 cup sugar, and vanilla.
• Place custard cups in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Divide egg mixture among custard cups. Place baking pan on oven rack. Pour hottest tap water available into baking pan around custard cups to a depth of about 1/2 inch.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted near centers comes out clean. Remove cups from water. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill flans in cups for 4 to 24 hours.
• To unmold flans, loosen edges with a knife, slipping point between flans and sides of custard cups. Invert a dessert plate over each flan; turn over plate and custard cup together. Remove cups from flans. Spoon any caramelized sugar that remains in cups on top of flans.