Also known as pastry cream, this filling is used mainly in cakes and pastry. The crème patissiere can be infused with lemon, cinnamon, cardamom, chocolate, passion fruit and many more! You will have to take your time so you do not scramble the crème patissiere.
Ingredients:
Crème Patissiere:
500ml Full Fat Milk
75g Caster Sugar
1 x Vanilla Pod (or your own choice a flavouring)
6 x Egg Yolks
25g Plain Flour
20g Corn flour
1. Place the milk in the pan and scrap the vanilla seeds out of the pod and bring the milk to the boil.
2. While the milk reaches boiling point, place the egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl. Mix the ingredients until the mixture starts to get paler. Then add the flour and corn flour and mix.
3. Once the milk boils take off the heat and leave to cool slightly for 1 minute. Pour the milk in a thin stream over the egg yolks and mix constantly.
4. Pour the egg yolk-milk mixture back into the pan and place on the hob. Constantly mix the mixture until it starts to boil. Cook the crème patissiere for 1 minute to cook out the flour.
5. Transfer the crème patissiere to a bowl and dust with icing sugar (this will prevent a skin from forming). Then cover the bowl with cling film and leave the crème patissiere to cool.
Lemon and White Crème Diplomat
A crème diplomat is a crème patissiere that has whipped cream folded into it, making it lighter and smoother. This is a good filling to use to fill profiteroles and éclairs with, as it is not a “heavy” filling.
Lemon and White Crème Diplomat:
Ingredients:
75g Caster Sugar
250ml Milk
25g Plain Flour
150g White Chocolate
250ml Double Cream
4 x Egg Yolks
Zest of a Lemon
1. In a heat proof bowl mix together the egg yolks, lemon zest, flour, caster sugar and 80ml of the milk.
2. Place the rest of the milk in a pan and heat till the milk boils. Then remove from the heat.
3. Pour the milk over the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream while constantly mixing. This will prevent the eggs yolk mixture from scrambling.
4. Pour the milk-egg yolk mixture into a pan and heat. Make sure you keep on mixing the crème patissiere or otherwise it will scramble.
5. Heat until then mixture boils, the mixture should have started to thicken. Simmer on a low heat for 1 minute to cook out the taste of the flour.
6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Mean while melt the white chocolate over a double boiler.
7. Once the crème patissiere has cooled down pour the melted white chocolate in and mix until fully incorporated. Place in the fridge to cool.
8. While the crème patissiere is cooling the fridge, whip the double cream until soft peaks form.
9. When the crème patissiere is cold fold in the whipped cream using a balloon whisk. Keep folding until the cream is fully mixed in.
10. Leave the Crème Diplomat to cool in the fridge until it is needed.