A stable vanilla pastry cream for tarts, choux, and filled pastries. Boil fully to activate starch, then chill fast and re-smooth before use. Yield: about 1.45 kg. Keep at or below 4°C and use within 3 days.
Yield: 1 portions · Prep 25 min · Bake 8 min
Ingredients
1000 ml full cream milk
200 g egg yolk
200 g caster sugar
90 g cornflour
80 g unsalted butter
15 ml vanilla bean paste
2 g fine sea salt
Method
Infuse milk Bring milk, vanilla, and half the sugar to a simmer. Sugar in the milk helps reduce scorching.
Whisk yolks Whisk yolks with remaining sugar, cornflour, and salt until smooth and slightly lightened.
Temper Temper with hot milk in stages, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the pan.
Boil Boil while whisking for 1-2 minutes. The cream must bubble to remove raw starch flavour and set properly.
Finish Off heat, whisk in butter until glossy. Pass through a sieve if maximum smoothness is required.
Chill safely Spread shallow, cover surface-contact, and blast chill to below 5°C. Paddle smooth before piping.
