Pastry Cream
- Level: Easy
- Yield: about 2 1/2 cups
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 206
- Total Fat
- 9
- Saturated Fat
- 5
- Carbohydrates
- 26
- Dietary Fiber
- 0
- Sugar
- 21
- Protein
- 4
- Cholesterol
- 141
- Sodium
- 120
- Total: 2 hr 25 min (includes chilling time)
- Active: 25 min
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped (see Cook's Note)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
- 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.
Cook’s Note
Alternatively, you can substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract for the 1/2 vanilla bean.