Sunday, August 8, 2010

Vanilla Pastry Cream


It's been awhile since I posted anything.  I've been baking up a storm but have recently got a new computer and could not get it up and running.  It seems to be working fine now so I have a lot of posting to catch up on!
The only reason I made pastry cream is because I had so many egg yolks left over from making my white cake and I didn't want to just wash them down the disposal.  So I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.  It was really simple to make and resulted in a really flavorful, thick & silky smooth pastry cream.  My only change was to add a splash of pure vanilla extract AND the vanilla bean.  I thought it needed a stronger vanilla flavor.  I used my pastry cream for a Boston Cream pie which unfortunately I did not get a photo of.  But this pastry cream would be a wonderful base for a fresh fruit tart or even as the cream filling for a trifle.  It does not keep longer than 3 days in the fridge but you can make it a couple of days before you assemble your dessert which is handy.  I used whole milk when I made this but I can imagine it would be really wonderful made with half & half or maybe cream.  I would say anything less than 2% milk would not produce satisfying results.
Vanilla Pastry Cream


allrecipes.com




Ingredients:

2 cups milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

6 egg yolks 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pinch salt



Directions:

1. Place the milk, half the sugar and the vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat.

2. Combine the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl and whisk until light in color. Add in the flour and the salt, mix to combine.

3. When the milk just begins to boil, remove from heat and remove vanilla bean. Very slowly dribble the hot milk into the yolk mixture, stirring all the time. When about half of the milk has been added, place all of the yolk mixture into the saucepan over medium heat. Using a spatula or a whisk, mix the pastry cream as it heats, making sure to reach all of the corners of the pan when you stir. Bring the mixture to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. The mixture will be thick.

4. Remove from heat and add the butter. Strain if you wish for a smoother cream. Place into a bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap to stop a skin from forming on the pastry cream.

1 comment:

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

That is a good looking pastry cream! Love the addition of vanilla bean!