The custard is a velvety cream, made with few ingredients perfect for making many pastry recipes and excellent to eat alone. Flavored with lemon and vanilla, it is very good.
Preparation time 10 minutes plus time to cool
Ingredients
- 4 yolks
- 100 gr sugar
- 500 ml milk
- 40 gr cornstarch
- lemon peel (alternative or together with vanilla)
- 1 vanilla bean (alternative or with lemon)
Method
In a saucepan place the milk with the vanilla bean and the lemon zest in one piece and warm over low heat. It must just touch a boil.
Meanwhile in a bow whisk lightly the egg yolks with the sugar. Sift the cornstarch into the bowl, whisking gently, making sure that no lumps form.
By this time, the milk on the stove will be about ready to boil. Remove and discard the vanilla bean. Slowly whisk the warmed milk into the egg mixture.
Pour the egg and milk mixture into the pot and continue cooking over low heat, stirring gently, until it barely reaches a simmer, about 3/4 minutes. The cream should be velvety and thick.Remove the lemon zest if you use it.
Transfer the pastry cream into a bowl, place some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming, and let it cool.
Once cold, the cream can be used to garnish cakes, cream puffs or eaten simply so maybe sprinkled with bitter cocoa.
