VANILLA BEAN PASTRY CREAM by Sarah Phillips adapted from Pierre Herme © 2007 Sarah Phillips baking911.com
Let the pastry cream cool before you add in the butter, preventing it from separating. Use the freshest butter you can find for the best flavor. Egg yolks contain lecithin which give this recipe a creamy, smooth texture and a rich flavor. They also nicely color the cream a deep yellow. Make sure you boil the recipe for the exact time in the recipe so it thickens nicely and won't taste starchy. On the other hand, be careful not to over boil the recipe, otherwise the cornstarch begins to break down and the cream will begin to thin.
CUSTARD HELP
INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole or 2% milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted; measure and then, sift
3 1/2 (1 3/4 ounces) tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but not greasy
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk, vanilla seeds and scraped vanilla bean pod, to a boil over medium-low heat. Immediately remove from heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes; this allows the milk to be infused with the flavor of the vanilla.
2. Fill a large bowl 1/2 full with water and ice cubes and set aside a smaller bowl that will hold the finished cream abd be placed in the ice bath. Set aside a fine mesh strainer.
3. Strain the infused milk, through a fine mesh strainer, into a large Pyrex, glass heat proof 2-quart measuring cup or bowl before using. Save the discarded vanilla pod for another use. The seeds should be fine enough to pass through the strainer with the milk.
4. In a heavy-bottomed medium-size saucepan (placed on the countertop or a turned-off stovetop), blend together the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in the egg yolks. Whisking all the while, slowly drizzle a quarter of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. This will warm the yolks so they won't scramble from the hot milk.
Still whisking, add the rest of the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a steady stream.
SARAH SAYS: I use a small ladel, dip it into the hot milk mixture and drizzle the milk from it into the yolk mixture. It is light in weight and easy to handle.
5. Place the saucepan over high heat and whisking vigourously and without stopping, bring the mixture to a boil. Keep the mixture at a boil for 1 to 2 minutes, while whisking energetically without stopping. Immediately remove the pastry cream from the heat and press the cream with a large, heat-proof rubber spatula through a fine mesh strainer into the reserved bowl.
6. Set the bowl in the ice water bath, and stir frequently so the mixture remains smooth, until the pastry cream reaches 140 degrees F as measured with an Instant Read Thermometer. Stir in the butter in three or four additions. Keep the cream over ice, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled.
STORAGE
Use immediately or refrigerated with a piece of plastic wrap pressed on its surface. Keeps for about 3 to 5 days. Does not freeze.
