Pastry cream is one of the most used in confectionery, which is very versatile, as well as being delicious on the palate. Thus, the pastry cream is ideal for filling your cakes, gypsy arms or any other sweet you prepare. You can also eat it directly with a spoon, since, by itself, it is delicious.
However, the pastry cream is delicate to preserve due to the fact that it is prepared with egg, so you should always keep it in the fridge or refrigerator. Don’t miss this article and learn how to make pastry cream for a pie filling or any other dessert.
Ingredients:
- ½ liter of milk
- 120g of sugar
- 50g cornstarch
- 4 egg yolks
- A vanilla pod or cinnamon stick
- Lemon peel
You will need to:
- Saucepan
- Bowl
- manual rods
- Strainer
Steps to follow:
Step: 1
The first step in making homemade pastry cream is to bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan —reserving a glass of milk—, along with the lemon peels and the vanilla pod or cinnamon stick, depending on the aroma you prefer to give it. Stir with the help of some rods to flavor all the milk. As soon as it starts to boil, you must turn off the heat, remove the saucepan and reserve it covered with a plate or the lid of a pot that fits.
Step: 2
On the other hand, take a bowl or container and add the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Remember that you will not use egg whites, so we suggest you consult our article on How to easily separate the parts of an egg in case you are not sure what procedure to follow.
Step: 3
Once you have added the three ingredients, you should beat them well so that they are linked together and get a homogeneous mixture. Next, pour the glass of milk that you had reserved in the first step and keep stirring to also integrate it into the mixture that will become your classic pastry cream.
Step: 4
Once all this is done, you must return to the saucepan that you had removed from the heat and, with the help of a strainer, you must filter it – to remove the lemon peels and the vanilla pod. Add it to the container where you have mixed the eggs, cornstarch, and sugar. In this way, you will have to stir everything again to get the best pastry cream. Once you have everything well mixed, you must put it back to heat so that it thickens and acquires the right consistency.
Step: 5
It should be noted that there are those who choose to add a little room-temperature butter while it is still on the fire to make the texture a little creamier. However, it is completely optional.
Step: 6
Once you see that the pastry cream has the right thickness, you can remove it from the heat and let it cool covered with a transparent film until it is cold to be able to use it. You already know how to make pastry cream to decorate your desserts, now you can add it to other recipes, such as the famous pastry cream or these delicious strawberry tartlets with pastry cream.
