Pastry Cream (Crème pâtissière) is a delicate cream for custard cakes (eclairs, petits choux, religieuse), Napoleon, mille-feuille, meringue and other sponge cakes.
After trying many options, I settled on this recipe from French chef Johan from Toulouse (Johan Le Meilleur Patissier M6).
Here is my translation from French of the Vanilla Crème Pâtissière recipe. The original link is Recette de la Crème Pâtissière à la Vanille (in French).
Pastry Cream
Ingredients
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 250 ml whole milk
- 55 g egg yolk (approximately 3 yolks)
- 50 g sugar
- 25 g cornstarch (maizena)
- 25 g butter
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the tiny seeds with the tip of a knife. Add the pod and seeds to the milk.
- Whisk the yolks with the sugar until well combined.
- Add the cornstarch and mix thoroughly.
- Bring the milk to a boil. Gradually pour 1/3 of the hot milk into the yolk-sugar mixture, stirring vigorously.
- Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
- Cook the cream over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes after it starts boiling. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Immediately transfer the cream to a cold bowl (previously chilled in the fridge or freezer). Add small pieces of butter and mix until smooth. Cover the surface of the cream directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cooled.
- Before serving, whisk the cream thoroughly. This is the moment to add rum or other flavorings, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Normandy Apple Pie
My version of Normandy Apple Pie, with calvados and sour cream, of course.
Check out my other recipes with puff pastry.
Normandy Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 sheet all butter puff pastry
- 4-5 apples Granny Smith
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp Calvados
- 4 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/4 cup almond powder
- 1 Tbsp sliced almonds
- 1 tsp sugar powdered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 380 degrees F. Thaw one sheet of puff pastry until room temperature. Roll the pastry dough into circle and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Prick with a fork.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and slice the apples cross wide in very thin slices. Add lemon juice.
- Arrange the apples slices in an overlapping spiral pattern.
- In a medium bowl beat the eggs with sugar. Add calvados, sour cream and almond powder, mix well.
- Pour the mixture over the apples.
- Bake for another 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with sliced almonds and keep baking for 30 more minutes until golden.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Transfer to serving plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
French Chocolate Cake
French chocolate cake with dark chocolate. Very elegant and light, incredibly simple to make. It became our family signature cake. I make it for breakfast, for unexpected guests, and even as a birthday cake.
If you are looking for gluten-free recipe, try our Flourless Chocolate Cake.
French Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate chips
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 6 eggs
- 200 g sugar
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour sifted
- 1/4 tsp powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a baking pan, then dust with little flour and tap out the excess.
- Meanwhile melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave. Mix well.
- Whisk eggs with sugar until frothy and blended.
- Add eggs to the chocolate batter and whisk.
- Add sifted flour and whisk again.
- Pour into prepared cake pan and bake for 25- 30 minutes.
- Run the knife along to check if it is ready. Cake should be moist and not dry.
- Let it completely cool, remove the cake from the pan. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.
