Pastry Cream

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Ingredients:

2 cups milk

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 ounce cornstarch, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ounce unsalted butter

Preparation:

Heat (scald) milk until hot but not simmering.  In a stand mixer, whisk yolks, sugar and salt until mixture is thick and lemon-colored, 5 minutes.  Add cornstarch; whisk to combine.  Transfer to a non-aluminum saucepan. 

Return milk to heat and bring to a boil.  Slowly whisk hot milk in egg yolks.  Cook milk mixture over medium-low heat, whisking constantly and scraping pan bottom and sides as you stir, until mixture thickens to a thick pudding consistency and loses all traces of raw starch flavor, about 10 minutes.

Off heat, stir in vanilla and butter.  Pass though a fine strainer. Transfer to a quarter baking sheet to cool to room temperature, placing a buttered piece of plastic wrap directly on surface.  Cool to room temperature.  To ensure that pastry cream does not thin out, do not whisk once it has set.

Serving Suggestion:

Use to fill eclairs and  puff pastries.

Variation:

Season with coffee, raspberry, etc. flavorings.

History:

Recipe comes from Chef Tech Cooking School's Pro Baking, Classical French, series of cooking classes.