Unlike your standard custard (Crème Anglaise) which is a pouring custard, Crème Pâtissière is a thicker, piping custard commonly used to fill pastries and other desserts. Originating in France, Crème Pâtissière is now one of the more widely used custards, making this a great recipe to have under your belt, as it can be used again and again, in a variety of desserts and pastries.
Top tip: Make sure to stir continuously when cooking and temper the egg mixture properly. This will make the end result silkier. If you want an even smoother consistency, you can strain through a fine mesh sieve, although this is not necessary.
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Chill time: 1 hour
Makes: 500ml
Ingredients
475ml milk
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla pod
3 egg yolks
Method
- Heat the milk over a medium heat with the vanilla (if using a pod, de-seed and place both the seeds and pod into the milk, removing the pod before adding to the egg mixture).
- Combine the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Ensure they are completely combined in a thick paste as this will prevent lumps later.
- Add the milk very slowly to the egg mixture, pouring in a gentle stream whilst whisking to ensure there are no lumps. This process will temper the egg mixture, meaning it doesn’t curdle or cook too quickly.
- Once you have added all the milk, return to the heat. Stirring continuously, cook until the desired consistency – the standard consistency is when it coats the back of a spoon without running off.
- Chill if required. I recommend using this to fill profiteroles, see my recipe here.
#Accessibility (image description; set on a dark black background there is a geometrically shaped glass, filled with Crème Pâtissière. It is smooth and yellow, but we can see vanilla seeds dappled through it. There is a bright red strawberry on top that has been cut into slices and opened out)