European Recipe ∼ Pastry Cream

This is a classic pastry cream often used in bakeries and restaurants. It can be used as a filling for cakes, pies or pastries. To make a lighter filling, fold in plain whipped cream.

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ⅓ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.
3. When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

Nutrition Facts

• calories151.3
• carbohydrateContent21.4 g
• cholesterolContent87 mg
• fatContent5.8 g
• proteinContent3.5 g
• saturatedFatContent3.2 g
• sodiumContent56.6 mg
• sugarContent17.6 g