Cooking & Baking Essentials
The Technique
Vanilla Pastry Cream
Vanilla Pastry Cream is a key component in many dessert applications such as trifle & cream pies. It is the foundation to sweet mousseline creme that can be used to fill a number of pate a choux & puff pastry based confections from eclairs & cream puffs to mille-feuille, more commonly known as a Napoleon. When a cook wants to focus on the seasons current fruit selections, Vanilla Pastry Cream is often times used to fill tart shells. When doing so, it’s important to create a barrier between the crust & the cream in order to keep the shell crisp. Preserves with a mellow flavor can be warmed & brushed over the bottom of the crust before adding the pastry cream & the fruit. Once a solid base recipe has been established, pastry cream can be flavored a number of ways by adding chocolate or preparing with a little coffee, fruit or citrus juice. Learn how to make this valuable bakeshop staple & get ready to apply it in some of your favorite sweet confection favorites.
Vanilla Pastry Cream
makes 3 cups
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp butter
Whisk together the sugar, the cornstarch & the salt in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan. Whisk in the whole milk. Add the egg yolks & blend well. Cook, stirring with a whisk, over Medium heat about 6 minutes. The mixture will thicken & begin a slow bubble. Reduce the heat to Low & cook an additional 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Add the vanilla & the butter allow it to melt. Whisk the mixture until smooth & pass through a chinois or fine wire mesh sieve set over a bowl. Discard the solids. Spread the pastry cream over a 13 x 9-inch quarter sheet pan & place plastic wrap directly over the surface. Chill 1 hour. Use as directed in specific recipe applications.
FROM THE KITCHEN OF BUTTERMILK LIPSTICK
{testing notes}
How To Make Vanilla Pastry Cream
There are several methods for making Vanilla Pastry Cream. This particular recipe has been streamlined for the home cook as it does not require the need to steep a vanilla bean pod in the milk nor temper the eggs. However, a fine wire mesh sieve or chinois will prove to be invaluable in achieving a velvety smooth texture.
The Technique
A few pieces of equipment will be needed in order to complete the task. Read through the recipe instructions before beginning. Here’s what you should know.
No. 1
How the dry ingredients are blended when condensing classical recipe applications can mean the difference between success & failure. Since this method foregoes tempering the eggs, a process of bringing the temperature of the eggs up to the temperature of hot milk or cream, blending the dry ingredients properly & adding the liquids into it needs to happen in a particular order. Although blending egg yolks & sugar is a pretty common occurrence in the bakeshop, if the yolks stand too long over the sugar without blending them right away, they will become lumpy. To avoid this, begin by adding the dry ingredients to the saucepan first.
1a
Whisk together the sugar, the cornstarch & the salt to a 3 1/2-quart saucepan.
1b
Whisk in the whole milk. This will disperse dry ingredients throughout the mixture.
1c
Now you can focus on adding the eggs. Whisk them through the mixture right away which will ensure even distribution throughout as well as a smooth consistency before any cooking begins.
No. 2
Cook, stirring with a whisk, over Medium heat about 6 minutes. The mixture will thicken & begin a slow bubble. Reduce the heat to Low & cook an additional 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
2a
Add the vanilla & the butter allow it to melt. Whisk the mixture until smooth.
2b
Passing the pastry cream through a chinois or sieve is a crucial step that should not be overlooked as it will ensure a smooth texture every single time. Place it over a bowl, add the pastry cream & work the mixture through using a rubber spatula or a plastic bowl scraper. It should only take about 3 or 4 minutes & it is a step that is well worth the extra attention. Discard the solids once complete.
No. 3
When hot items need to cool quickly for use in another recipe step such as in the case for rice, farro, pasta or pastry cream, they may be spread over a shallow surface & placed in the refrigerator for a shorter amount of chilling time. Spread the pastry cream over a 13 x 9-inch quarter sheet pan & place plastic wrap directly over the surface. Chill 1 hour.
3a
Once the pastry cream has properly chilled, remove the plastic wrap from the surface. The texture will be firm & you will notice the imprint of the wrap over the surface. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the mixture to a bowl. Run a whisk through it before using in specific recipe applications.
No. 4
Vanilla Pastry Cream can be embellished with berries for a refreshing simple dessert or layered in glasses with cake. For more classic bakeshop creations, fill a pastry bag & pipe it into a variety of handcrafted shells.
The Tune
“There’s Something On Your Mind” Etta James & BB King
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