{"id":537,"date":"2012-05-07T23:38:37","date_gmt":"2012-05-07T21:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.roadtopastry.com\/blog\/?page_id=537"},"modified":"2013-01-08T00:03:48","modified_gmt":"2013-01-07T23:03:48","slug":"pastry-cream-creme-patissiere","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.roadtopastry.com\/blog\/pastry-cream-creme-patissiere","title":{"rendered":"Pastry cream – Cr\u00e8me p\u00e2tissi\u00e8re"},"content":{"rendered":"

The queen of all creams is pastry cream<\/strong>. It is a stirred custard<\/strong> and its standard version requires the use of vanilla as flavouring.<\/p>\n

In a few words, the vanilla bean is infused in the hot milk<\/strong> which is used to temper a mixture of egg yolks<\/strong>, sugar and starch: the resulting mixture is put back on the heat until thickened.<\/p>\n

A small amount of starch is needed<\/strong> to thicken the cream: I used corn starch (Maizena)<\/strong> which is available practically everywhere. You can also use other starches like rice starch, but please don’t use flour<\/strong>: it might form lumps<\/strong> more easily, it is heavier<\/strong> and might leave a bad after taste.<\/p>\n

Starch also protects the egg yolks from curdling<\/strong> so,\u00a0to exploit its thickening action, you can (and must<\/strong>!) boil the cream <\/strong>(trust me: raw starch is not good).<\/p>\n

Pastry cream is so famous<\/strong> because it is very versatile, can be flavoured with many ingredients <\/strong>(e.g. chocolate, liqueurs, spices, fruits, etc…) and can be used as a filling<\/strong> in many preparations: \u00e9clairs, choux, napoleons, tarts and pies…<\/p>\n

It is thick and rich<\/strong> (especially in cholesterol!) so a bit heavy, but you can just use it as a base for other creams<\/strong>. In particular:<\/p>\n