Pastry Cream (Crème Pâtissière)
Ingredients (Makes ~2 cups / 480 ml)
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2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
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½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
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4 large egg yolks
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¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
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2 tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter
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1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
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Heat the milk
In a medium saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. Remove from heat. -
Mix egg yolks and sugar
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth and pale. -
Temper the eggs
Slowly pour about ½ cup of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to avoid curdling. -
Cook the cream
Pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk.
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil. This usually takes 3–5 minutes. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. -
Finish the cream
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla extract until smooth. -
Cool
Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Tips
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For chocolate pastry cream, melt 2–3 oz (60–90 g) of chocolate into the hot cream before adding butter.
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Can be flavored with coffee, citrus zest, or liqueurs for variation.
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Best used within 2–3 days, kept refrigerated.
If you want, I can give a vegan version of pastry cream that’s just as creamy using plant milk and cornstarch. Do you want me to do that?