Pastry Cream (Crème Patisserie)
Use this classic pastry cream (also known as crème patisserie) in your trifles, tarts & pastries. Quick & easy to make!This amount will be enough for 12 serves of Rhubarb, Custard & Gingerbread Trifle or to fill a 23cm tart.
Servings: 600 ml
Ingredients
- 115 g granulated sugar (note)
- 30 g corn starch/cornflour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- yolks from four large eggs
- 455 g whole milk
- Teaspoon vanilla paste
- 30 g unsalted butter
Instructions
- Sieve Ready – set a sieve over a heatproof medium metal bowl. This will hold the finished custard. Put these in the fridge to chill.
- Butter – cube the butter and put back in the fridge.30 g unsalted butter
- Combine Ingredients - In a saucepan stir together the sugar, corn starch and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks until the mixture is pale yellow, smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Don’t worry if all the sugar granules haven’t dissolved. Add the vanilla to the milk. Add this to the egg yolk mix in three lots, stirring well until it is all incorporated.115 g granulated sugar30 g corn starch/cornflour¼ teaspoon saltyolks from four large eggs455 g whole milkTeaspoon vanilla paste
- Cook, Whisk & Bubble – place pan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the pastry cream begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Once it thickens and starts to bubble, continue to whisk for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Strain – pour the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a heatproof medium bowl.
- Butter – add the cold cubes of butter. Whisk through until melted and well incorporated.
- Cover - immediately place plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until cold and very thick, about 4 hours.
Notes
Sugar – apart from adding sweetness, sugar helps slow down the rate at which eggs thicken. This allows you to cook the pastry cream enough without scrambling the eggs. If you find this pastry cream too sweet, you can reduce the sugar to as low as 70g without compromising texture. The sweetness you want might depend on what you're serving it with.