Vanilla Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream)
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and King Arthur Baking.
A thick, smooth vanilla pastry cream of milk, egg yolks and cornflour, boiled briefly, finished with butter and chilled for piping or spreading.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Make the yolk base. Whisk the yolks, 25 g of the sugar and the cornflour in the bowl for about 1 min until pale and thick. Heat the milk, salt and remaining sugar in the saucepan until it just begins to simmer.
- 2
Temper. Whisk half the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream. Warming the yolks gradually stops them scrambling, then pour everything back into the pan.
- 3
Boil the custard. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the cream thickens and a few large bubbles burst on the surface. Keep whisking for 1 min more; this takes it well past 82 °C and cooks out the cornflour so it sets firmly instead of thinning.
- 4
Finish. Take it off the heat and whisk in the cold butter and vanilla until smooth. Push it through the sieve into the shallow dish to remove any lumps.
- 5
Chill. Press cling film onto the surface so no skin forms and chill for at least 3 h. Whisk it smooth before piping or spreading.
Storage
Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Not suitable for freezing.
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- large mixing bowl
- whisk
- fine sieve
- shallow dish
- cling film
- piping bag with star nozzle (optional)
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 184 kcal |
| Protein | 3.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 18.7 g |
| of which sugars | 15.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 12.6 g |
| Fat | 10.4 g |
| of which saturates | 5.7 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Salt | 0.13 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
