Crème Pâtissière (Vanilla Pastry Cream) Recipe

This easy-to-make vanilla pastry cream is rich, creamy and full of flavour. This French custard can be used in a myriad of ways such as a filling for éclairs, fruit tarts and cakes.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 vanilla bean pod, cut in half with the seeds scraped out. (or 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract)
• 520 ml whole milk
• 5 large egg yolks (room temperature)
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 50 g cornflour (corn starch)
• 50 g unsalted butter, chopped (room temperature)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Heat the milk. Combine milk, vanilla bean pod and vanilla caviar into a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it begins to simmer and bubbles appear around the edge of the saucepan. Do not boil the milk. Remove the vanilla bean pod.
2. 2Whisk eggs and sugar. Whilst the milk is heating, place the yolks and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until thickened and pale. Add in cornflour and whisk until combined.
3. 3Temper the eggs. While whisking the yolks continuously, pour in the milk mixture in a slow thin stream and whisk until combined. Pour the mixture straight back into the saucepan and return to low heat.
4. 4Heat the custard. Whilst continuously whisking, (do not stop!), heat the custard on low to medium heat until it starts to bubble and thicken. Heat for a further minute for the cornflour to reach the full point of thickening.
5. 5Add in butter and cool pastry cream. Remove the pan from the heat and pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium-sized bowl. This will remove any egg lumps. Add the butter to the custard and whisk until melted and combined.
6. 6Chill the pastry cream. Set the bowl over a water bath (a larger bowl filled with cold water and ice). Whisk the pastry cream until it cools, then place plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Alternatively, cover with the plastic wrap and set aside until cooled to room temperature, then refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours. When ready to use, remove plastic wrap and whip or beat vigorously until smooth again.