Pastry Cream

METHOD

• 1)

  Place the butter in a big metal or glass bowl, and prepare a metal sieve on top if the bowl.

• 2)

  In a heavy based saucepan, heat the milk, cream, salt and vanilla over medium heat.

• 3)

  In another bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, the sugar and the eggs.

• 4)

  Keep close by.

• 5)

  When the cream mixture boils, reduce the heat to low.

• 6)

  Now we have to make sure not to cook the eggs. For that, use only 1/4 of a cup of hot cream mixture into the egg mixture and pour it very slowly while continuously whisking. Repeat that twice. This will allow the egg mixture to get warmed up gradually and not “cook”.

• 7)

  Now pour the warmed egg mixture back into the rest of the cream mixture in the saucepan and keep on whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes MAXIMUM until thickened.

• 8)

  Here we have to work quickly.

• 9)

  Remove the thickened cream from the heat and immediately pour into the sieve place atop the butter.

• 10)

  Sieve it and it whisk until the butter is fully incorporated. Immediately cover with a cling film, pressing it into the cream and refrigerate.

• 11)

  As my professionally trained friend Raja told me, it is very crucial to work very quickly with pastry cream and cool it asap so bacteria doesn’t form. I am planning to research this further.