I trust Dorie Greenspan more than any other cookbook writer/chef. Her recipes have never let me down. I own two of her cookbooks, Baking: From My Home to Yours and Around My French Table. I've used Baking way, way more than the other book, but everything I've made has been delicious so far. Given my current transient state (most of my stuff is in storage!) both cookbooks are packed away somewhere, so I had to go searching online to find her pastry cream recipe. Thankfully, there are many, many Dorie devotees online, who love her as much as I do.
I started by boiling two cups of whole milk.
While the milk boiled, I cracked six large eggs and put their yolks in a bowl with sugar and cornstarch, mixing them together until I had a thick yellow paste.
I have a major aversion to making custard, because I hate getting little bits of cooked egg in my custard after adding the hot milk to the egg mixture. I trust Dorie though, so I did as she said and splashed about 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisked it like crazy, tempering the custard. After that, I gradually added the milk in 1/4-cup doses, whisking furiously after each addition. When I was finished adding the milk, I had a really foamy liquid that I put on the stove so that it could thicken. This part was surprisingly fast, I think because I used whole milk. Whenever I use anything but whole milk, things always take longer to thicken.
I whisked the liquid like crazy, so it wouldn't burn or get any dreaded eggy bits in it. It thickened into custard in about one minute, maybe less. I took it off the heat and added vanilla bean paste, stirring it in.
I let the custard sit for five minutes and then added a little butter, whisking it in.
Y'all, it was sooo rich! And creamy! Dorie is such an ace.
Pastry cream
from Dorie Greenspan via Confessions of a Tart
(makes about 2 cups)
Bring 2 cups whole milk to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. While the milk boils, whisk 6 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/3 cup cornstarch until you've formed a thick, yellow paste. When the milk boils, splash in about 1/4 cup of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously in order to avoid having any cooked egg in the custard. Continuously whisking, add the milk in by the 1/4-cupful. When all of the milk is incorporated and the mixture is foamy, return the mixture to a medium-sized saucepan and bring it to a boil. Whisk the custard constantly, to keep the custard from burning on the bottom or getting small bits of cooked egg in the custard. The custard will begin to boil fairly quickly--let it boil for a 1 minute or so, until the custard has thickened.
Take the custard off the heat and add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, whisking it in. Let the custard sit for five minutes and then whisk in 3 1/2 tbsp butter. Scrape the custard into a bowl and place plastic wrap over the custard, pressing it into the custard so that a skin doesn't form on top. Refrigerate it for at least two hours before using it.
*If you want to flavor the pastry cream, you could add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier liqueur when you add the vanilla or a couple teaspoons of orange or lemon zest added into the egg yolk mixture.
I started by boiling two cups of whole milk.
While the milk boiled, I cracked six large eggs and put their yolks in a bowl with sugar and cornstarch, mixing them together until I had a thick yellow paste.
I have a major aversion to making custard, because I hate getting little bits of cooked egg in my custard after adding the hot milk to the egg mixture. I trust Dorie though, so I did as she said and splashed about 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture and whisked it like crazy, tempering the custard. After that, I gradually added the milk in 1/4-cup doses, whisking furiously after each addition. When I was finished adding the milk, I had a really foamy liquid that I put on the stove so that it could thicken. This part was surprisingly fast, I think because I used whole milk. Whenever I use anything but whole milk, things always take longer to thicken.
I whisked the liquid like crazy, so it wouldn't burn or get any dreaded eggy bits in it. It thickened into custard in about one minute, maybe less. I took it off the heat and added vanilla bean paste, stirring it in.
I let the custard sit for five minutes and then added a little butter, whisking it in.
Y'all, it was sooo rich! And creamy! Dorie is such an ace.
Pastry cream
from Dorie Greenspan via Confessions of a Tart
(makes about 2 cups)
Bring 2 cups whole milk to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. While the milk boils, whisk 6 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/3 cup cornstarch until you've formed a thick, yellow paste. When the milk boils, splash in about 1/4 cup of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously in order to avoid having any cooked egg in the custard. Continuously whisking, add the milk in by the 1/4-cupful. When all of the milk is incorporated and the mixture is foamy, return the mixture to a medium-sized saucepan and bring it to a boil. Whisk the custard constantly, to keep the custard from burning on the bottom or getting small bits of cooked egg in the custard. The custard will begin to boil fairly quickly--let it boil for a 1 minute or so, until the custard has thickened.
Take the custard off the heat and add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, whisking it in. Let the custard sit for five minutes and then whisk in 3 1/2 tbsp butter. Scrape the custard into a bowl and place plastic wrap over the custard, pressing it into the custard so that a skin doesn't form on top. Refrigerate it for at least two hours before using it.
*If you want to flavor the pastry cream, you could add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier liqueur when you add the vanilla or a couple teaspoons of orange or lemon zest added into the egg yolk mixture.
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