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Vanilla
Pastry Cream Recipe
(Crème
Patisserie)
Makes
about 2 1/3 cups; enough to generously coat one 9-, 10-, or 11-inch tart or
adequately coat two 9- inch tarts or pies
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Traditionally, this vanilla cream is used as a
filling beneath glazed fresh fruits in a completely prebaked tart or pie
shell. The classic version uses as many as 6 large egg yolks for 2 cups
milk; I usually use 4 yolks, but you can cut that down to only 2 or 3 yolks
or 2 whole eggs and the recipe will still work. The vanilla bean imparts the
best flavor to the cream, but vanilla extract, added at the end of the
recipe, is a fine substitute. This cream is most often flavored with vanilla
or almond, but for a change, you may wish to try some of the other flavor
variations that follow.
(How to Make Pastry Cream). |
| PASTRY CREAM VARIATIONS:
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PASTRY CREAM VARIATIONS:
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Advance
Preparation: pastry cream can be made ahead and refrigerated, tightly
covered, for up to a week
Cooking Time: 12 to 15 minutes
Special Equipment: 2 1/2-quart heavy-bottom non-reactive saucepan; wooden
spoon; whisk; strainer; mixing bowl; plastic wrap
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2 tablespoons all-purpose flour |
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Scant pinch of salt |
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2/3 cup granulated sugar |
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2 tablespoons cornstarch |
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4 large egg yolks (or 2 to 3 large yolks or 2 whole large eggs)
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2 cups milk |
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1 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up |
- Whisk together
the flour, salt, sugar, and cornstarch, in a non-reactive saucepan. In a
mixing bowl, whisk the milk into the yolks (or whole eggs), then whisk them
into the sugar-starch mixture. Whisk well to be sure all the cornstarch and
flour is picked up off the pan bottom and dissolved. With a knife, scrape all
the inner seeds out of the vanilla bean, if you are using it, and add to the
pan, then add the whole vanilla bean; if you are using vanilla extract, do not
add it until the end of the recipe.
- Set the pan
over medium heat and cook the custard mixture for about 12 minutes, until it
thickens and comes to a boil: Stir with a wooden spoon on and off for the
first 5 minutes, then stir constantly for about 7 minutes longer, until the
mixture really thickens and reaches a boil, and you see fat heavy bubbles work
up to the surface and burst between stirs. Occasionally use a whisk instead of
the spoon to break up and remove any lumps. Then boil for 1 full minute (count
to 60) while stirring constantly, covering the entire bottom of the pan with
the spoon. Remove the pan from the heat. The cream is sufficiently cooked if
it is smooth and thick and will generously coat the spoon--it should hold a
clearly defined line when you draw your fingertip through the cream clinging
to the back of the spoon.
- Remove the
vanilla bean, if used; wash and dry it for reuse. If you suspect that the
cream may be lumpy, pass it through a strainer set over a bowl. Stir in the
butter and the vanilla extract, if using. Spoon the cream into a bowl. To
prevent a skin from forming, press a piece of buttered plastic wrap onto the
surface, or dab it with butter or sift on a very light coating of
confectioners' sugar. Cool, then cover and refrigerate.
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Praline Pastry Cream: Fold 1/4 to 1/2 cup
powdered peanut or almond brittle into the warm, finished pastry cream.
(Grind the broken pieces of brittle to a powder in a food processor or
blender or put in a plastic bag and pound with a hammer.) |
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Coffee Pastry Cream:
Dissolve 2
tablespoons instant coffee powder in the milk before whisking it into the
egg yolk mixture. |
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Chocolate Pastry Cream:
Melt 3 to 4
ounces finest-quality semisweet, bittersweet, or unsweetened chocolate in a
double boiler, then stir it into the warm, finished cream. The amount of
chocolate depends on how much chocolate flavor you desire; I prefer the
maximum. |
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Mocha Pastry Cream: Melt 3 ounces
semisweet chocolate in a double boiler. Stir in 4 teaspoons instant coffee
powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water. Stir this into the warm,
finished cream. |
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Almond Pastry Cream:
Stir 1 teaspoon
almond extract into the pastry cream along with the butter. You can also add
1/2 cup (2 ounces) ground blanched almonds to make this into Frangipane, an
excellent filling for fruit tarts. |
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Orange Pastry Cream:
Add 1 tablespoon
grated orange zest to the custard mixture before cooking. Stir 2 to 3
tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur into the warm, finished cream.
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Butterscotch Pastry Cream:
Substitute 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar for the granulated sugar.
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Liqueur-Flavored Pastry Cream:
Stir
2 tablespoons rum, kirsch, or Other liqueur into the pastry cream along with
the butter. |
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Whipped Cream Pastry Cream: Set the pastry cream
aside to cool, then chill while you whip 1/2 cup heavy (36% butterfat) cream
until stiff. Fold the cold creams together. |
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Instant Pastry Cream:
For desperate
moments when time is precious, prepare 1 small package French vanilla
pudding, instant type, using 1 cup milk. Whip 1/2 cup heavy cream (36%
butterfat) until stiff and fold it into the pudding along with 1 teaspoon
vanilla or almond extract. Or, for even better (although still packaged)
flavor, use cooked-style vanilla pudding prepared as directed on the box and
chilled; mix with the whipped cream, then add the vanilla or almond extract.
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From:
The Perfect Pie by Susan Gold Purdy
(Bantam Doubleday Dell; June 2000; ISBN: 0767902629; Paperback)
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