Best Thick Pastry Cream Recipes

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THICK VANILLA PASTRY CREAM FOR BRIOCHE BRETZELS



Thick Vanilla Pastry Cream for Brioche Bretzels image

Provided by Hubert Keller

Categories     Dairy     Egg     Pastry

Yield Makes about 2 cups

Number Of Ingredients 8

4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) plus 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise in half, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Steps:

  • Place the half-and-half, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the salt in a large saucepan over medium heat. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the milk and then drop in the pod. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and let the vanilla infuse into the milk while you work with the eggs.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Whisking some of the sugar into the eggs helps prevent lumps later when you whisk in the hot cream. Whisk in the cornstarch until smoothly incorporated.
  • Remove the vanilla bean, rinse, dry, and reserve for another use. While whisking vigorously, pour the hot milk into the eggs a little at a time. Then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking all the while and making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. Boil until the pastry cream thickens, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. If the cream looks lumpy, pass it through a sieve into a bowl. Otherwise, whisk in the butter and vanilla extract, if using, and then transfer the pastry cream to a bowl to cool for about 5 minutes. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature.

THICK PASTRY CREAM



Thick Pastry Cream image

Provided by Arthur Schwartz

Categories     Sauce     Milk/Cream     Egg     Dessert     Quick & Easy     Vanilla     Fall     Chill     Kidney Friendly     Vegetarian     Pescatarian     Peanut Free     Tree Nut Free     Soy Free     Kosher

Yield Makes 5 cups

Number Of Ingredients 6

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted before measuring
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 quart milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Steps:

  • 1. Set a clean, dry, nonreactive bowl and a sturdy rubber spatula near the stove. Put a large, fine strainer over a large bowlm ready to pour hot pastry cream through it.
  • 2. In another bowl, mix the flour with 1 cup of the sugar. Whisk in the eggs until smooth. The mixture will be very thick.
  • 3. In a 2 1/2- to 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, mix the milk, the remaining cup of sugar, and the salt. Scald over medium heat, stirring frequently so it doesn't scorch or form a skin. When the milk has a ring of small bubbles around the edge of the pan, remove it from the heat and, with a whisk, stir 1 cup of the milk, a little at a time, into the flour and egg mixture. Whisk in another cup of hot milk, then pour the now-tempered flour and egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking constantly. Still whisking constantly, but slowly, over medium to medium-low heat, cook the mixture until it thickens, Pull it off the heat at the first sign of a boil - as soon as the first bubble breaks on the surface. This will take about 5 minutes.
  • 4. Immediately pour the hot pastry cream through the strainer and into the bowl, using the spatula to remove it all from the pan and to push it through the sieve. Stir in the vanilla.
  • 5. Cover the very surface of the cream with wax paper or plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least several hours, or until chilled. Pastry cream can be kept refrigerated for several days, sometimes up to a week, depending on the efficiency of the refrigeration.

THICK VANILLA PASTRY CREAM FOR BRIOCHE BRETZELS RECIPE | EPICURIOUS.COM



Thick Vanilla Pastry Cream for Brioche Bretzels Recipe | Epicurious.com image

For this use, the pastry cream needs to be thicker and tighter so that it bakes up like a custard. It has extra yolks and a little extra cornstarch to accomplish this. Plus, as my brother explained when he visited San Francisco in 2011, the pastry cream should be warm when it is piped into the bretzels . Make it right before you shape your bretzels and, whatever you do, do not stir the cream to loosen it before transferring it to a pastry bag. This will break the cream and it will not bake properly. For convenience, I've included a complete ingredient list; follow the preceding method. But once it is made, keep the pastry cream in the saucepan or transfer it to a bowl. This will help it stay warm until you need it.

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 8

4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) plus 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise in half, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Steps:

  • Place the half-and-half, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the salt in a large saucepan over medium heat. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the milk and then drop in the pod. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and let the vanilla infuse into the milk while you work with the eggs.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Whisking some of the sugar into the eggs helps prevent lumps later when you whisk in the hot cream. Whisk in the cornstarch until smoothly incorporated.
  • Remove the vanilla bean, rinse, dry, and reserve for another use. While whisking vigorously, pour the hot milk into the eggs a little at a time. Then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, whisking all the while and making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan. Boil until the pastry cream thickens, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. If the cream looks lumpy, pass it through a sieve into a bowl. Otherwise, whisk in the butter and vanilla extract, if using, and then transfer the pastry cream to a bowl to cool for about 5 minutes. Lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature.
  • From Hubert Keller's Souvenirs: Stories & Recipes from My Life by Hubert Keller, © 2012 Andrews McMeel Publishing

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