How To Make Pastry Cream Crème Pâtissière Food

PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Stir together the milk, salt, vanilla bean and seeds and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the sugar has just dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch, egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until smooth. While continually whisking, slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture. Continue to whisk until smooth. (This is called tempering, and it will prevent the yolks from scrambling.) Continue whisking and adding 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture at a time until completely combined and smooth.
• Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and the texture of pudding, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the butter until smooth and glossy. Remove the vanilla bean.
• Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the pastry cream, and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Before serving, whisk the pastry cream until smooth and fluffy.

CREME PATISSIERE (PASTRY CREAM)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Set out a large bowl, a medium saucepan, a whisk or heavy spoon, and a sieve or strainer.
• In the medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk with the vanilla bean over medium heat almost to boiling.
• While the milk is heating, mix the egg yolks and sugar together in the large bowl.
• Then whisk in the flour and cornstarch until the mixture is smooth.
• Remove the vanilla bean from the milk.
• Then, gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Do this very slowly as you don't want the yolks to cook from the heat of the milk.
• Strain the mixture back into the saucepan.
• Place over medium heat, stirring or constantly whisking until the mixture thickens and reaches a boil. Continue cooking for half a minute longer, stirring hard and constantly to keep the pastry cream smooth.
• Remove the pastry cream from the heat. Stir in the vanilla flavoring at this point if you did not use a vanilla bean. Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to avoid a skin forming, and leave to cool to room temperature.
• The pastry cream can be used when cool, or covered and refrigerated for up to several days until needed. Stir chilled pastry cream before using.

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.