Pastry Cream (Crème Patisserie) Recipe
- Jul 27, 2017
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 20, 2021
Pastry cream has a custard base, similar to that of a crème anglaise or ice cream, with an addition of cornstarch or flour, in order to thicken it into a pipable cream that's rich and smooth, but not as firm nor sweet as a buttercream. It can be used to fill cream puffs or eclairs, used in trifles or as fillings in cakes, sandwiched in a napoleon.
It consists of egg yolks (Save the egg whites!), milk, sugar, a starch, and a flavoring element. It's not something that's difficult to make, nor requires a field of ingredients. If serving a crowd, I will often make an Italian Meringue out of the egg whites, which is basically a meringue with candy poured in to pasteurize and stabilize the meringue. I fold this into the pastry cream for lightness, volume, and to prevent waste. Sure, you could make an angel food cake, but does anyone REALLY enjoy those things?
It can be flavored simply with an extract, or herbs, teas, and spices by steeping them in milk, or with cocoa powder or melted chocolate (cocoa powder gives it more of a stovetop pudding texture and flavor, like a jello chocolate pudding). Cocoa nibs can be steeped to extract flavor and then drained, or blended with the milk into oblivion. You can go further with the herbs by adding floral essential oil to the mix (only a few drops is necessary) as in a rose flavored custard. Flower petals and honeys can be used (some places sell fruit flavored honey online, or they can be bought from specialty stores.) Jam can be used too, as featured in my raspberry white chocolate pastry cream . You can booze it up a little with flavored liqueurs like Kahlua, or a favorite dark rum. Citrus zest and juice can be used, or coffee! I recommend steeping the coffee in the milk and straining it, or using espresso in substitution for some of the milk or cream. Go nuts! Use nuts. Use almond flour and Amaretto or your favorite peanut butter. Experiment with using cream or condensed milk,
The possibilities are almond endless. Cranberry, orange, and cardamom? Great! Pumpkin, rum, and brown sugar? That's good too!
The recipe I use is just firm enough to set up, without being jelly-like and firm. It should hold it's own weight and be strong enough to support something light, such as a layer of puff pastry or sponge, yet be smooth and not require teeth to be bitten into.
Due to its proportions, it is important that all of the starch must be cooked to the right temperature and the eggs not curdled. If one of these are not met, it will not be firm enough and slightly runny. There must also not be too much extra liquid. Adding a few tablespoons of rum is okay, but I would recommend removing a tablespoon or so of the milk. Same for any extract.
Pastry Cream Recipe Base:
2 1/3 a cup of whole milk or half-and-half (2% can be used, but it will be different, experiment to find what you like)
8 egg yolks (I know what you're thinking. Bear with me.)
1/2 cup of cornstarch
1 1/8 of a cup of sugar
1/2 stick of butter
2 vanilla beans (or 2 tablespoons of clear vanilla extract. Dark can be used, but it will darken the cream)
Pinch of kosher salt
Cut the bean in half lengthwise and put the seeds in the saucepan, along with the pod. Put the milk in a saucepan, I prefer stainless steel so I can use a metal whisk. Bring it to a simmer, swirling often, with the vanilla bean or herbs if using, and keep the lid on to prevent evaporation. Let it steep for 10-15 minutes, meanwhile stir the egg yolks and sugar together, along with the salt and cornstarch after. Remove the pod or herbs, and pour the hot milk slowly into the eggs to temper them. This helps to prevent the eggs from curdling later on. Once smooth, add it back to the saucepan, and cook on medium-low or low heat, stirring constantly. If using a whisk, bubbles will form. Once the pastry cream thickens, these will be absorbed, so don't worry about skimming them off. After 6-10 minutes, you will start to feel it gently fight against you. At this point I raise the pan a few inches and crank the heat up a little bit, but not past medium. This helps to control the heat. Stir it quickly, and after a few seconds, stop to see if it boils. Whisk vigorously for a whole minute, pour it through a fine-meshed sieve into a glass bowl or a baking tray (for faster cooling). Every few minutes, stir it with the whisk so it remains smooth, and once it's warm but no longer hot, film the top with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to set for at least an hour, if not more. I normally shoot for 2.
Pastry cream is best used within the week, and my favorite way to use it is in choux pastry, like cream puffs and eclairs.
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