![pastry cream recipe](/media/images/pastry-cream.jpeg)
- Ingredients
- Procedure
- Allergens
Homemade pastry cream recipe for filling
If you like sweets and prepare delicious desserts then You have to master the making of the pastry cream. This cream is used for a large number of pastry recipes and is the most important part of many sweets.
Some time ago I explained its elaboration in the fruit puff pastry recipe , but today I want to dedicate the entire recipe to explain the step by step in detail and the best tricks to obtain a pastry cream with the best texture and an exquisite flavor.
At the end of the article I have created a section with tricks and tips so that you do not fail when preparing your pastry cream.
Notably This recipe is easy level. However, it is important to read all the steps carefully and, above all, to constantly stir the mixture to avoid the formation of lumps, but I will remind you of this later.
Grab the apron we start cooking!
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Cream ingredients
How to make pastry cream
- To begin, we will prepare the milk flavored with vanilla and lemon to give an exquisite flavor to our pastry cream.
- We give the vanilla pod a good cut and remove the seeds inside. We reserve.
- We pour water on the lemon, wash it well and peel the skin, avoiding removing the white part as it is bitter. The exact amount of lemon peel to use in the recipe will depend on each person's taste. If you like lemon a lot, add more, on the contrary, if you don't like a strong lemon taste, add just a little bit.
- Of the half liter of milk, we reserve 150 milliliters in a separate cup. It is advisable to add a splash of the whipping cream so that the cream is tastier.
- In a saucepan, heat the remaining milk until it is about to boil. In this step it is important to remove the pot from the heat before it boils.
- We add the lemon peel to taste and the split vanilla pod. We cover and let it rest for half an hour so that the milk takes on the lemon and vanilla flavors.
- While the milk takes on the taste, add the cornstarch (cornstarch) to the 150 ml cup of milk that we reserved previously. Stir well avoiding the formation of lumps. We save.
- After 30 minutes we break the eggs and keep the yolks. We put them in a new casserole.
- We add the 125 grams of sugar into the casserole with yolks using a strainer and stirring well to prevent lumps from forming.
- We add the 150 ml of milk with the cornstarch into the saucepan and stir.
- Add the milk into the pot. It is important to strain it to remove the remains of lemon peel and vanilla.
- We put the fire at medium power. In vitro it is level 4. Now it is time to stir the entire mixture without haste, but without pause. It may take several minutes before it begins to thicken. Even if you see that it doesn't thicken, be patient and keep stirring well.
- After a few minutes you will see how it begins to thicken. Once it starts it thickens very quickly.
- Once it acquires the texture of pastry cream, pour it into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once the pastry cream is at room temperature, we put plastic wrap on it and let it rest in the refrigerator. It can be up to 2 days without getting sick. However, it is advisable to use it to prepare a sweet on the same day or the day after its preparation.
![Elaboration of pastry cream step by step](/media/images/how-to-make-pastry-cream.jpeg)
Best tricks to get a delicious pastry cream
Preparing a good pastry cream may seem difficult but it is really easy if you follow the instructions step by step. Below we leave a reminder of some tricks or tips to keep in mind to obtain a quality pastry cream and prepare all types of sweets and desserts with it.
Don't let the milk boil
When we heat the milk before adding the lemon peel and the split vanilla pod, it is important not to let the milk boil. A temperature below 100 ºC is sufficient to ensure that the milk is well flavored.
Select a good starch
The choice of starch is also important. If we like a soft pastry cream then it is better to opt for rice starch. However, if we like it very thick then it is better to choose corn starch.
Avoid the formation of lumps
For our pastry cream to be perfect, we must avoid the formation of lumps at all costs. The main ingredients that can form lumps are sugar, corn or rice starch. Therefore, it is vitally important to prevent these ingredients from standing within the mixture. Always stir them to avoid the formation of lumps.
Cool the cream properly
A trick that not many people know is that it is important to cool the cream quickly after cooking. To do this, we can leave a bowl in the freezer before starting.
Once we have the pastry cream prepared, we quickly put it in the bowl and let it cool outside the refrigerator. Once it is cold we can put it in the refrigerator, tightly covered.
Stir slowly, but without pause
Getting the mixture to thicken is a fundamental point in preparing the recipe. For it, we will put the heat at medium temperature and begin to stir without stopping until the cream is very thick.
Be patient and don't stop stirring. Once it thickens, all the work will be worth it since you will get a delicious pastry cream.
Provides an extra creaminess
If at the end of the recipe you want to give it a creamier touch then you can add a few small pieces of butter. We add it at room temperature and stir a little. It will quickly dissolve and add that extra touch of creaminess to the cream.