Vanilla Pastry Cream

Vanilla Pastry Cream is a classic feeling for fruit tarts, éclairs, and other cream filled pastries. The recipe began with heating milk until it started to simmer. While the milk warmed, I whisked egg yolks and sugar until thickened and then added in flour to create a smooth, creamy mixture. I added in a small portion of the hot milk to temper the egg mixture and then poured it back into the saucepan to thicken. Once the cream came to a boil, I added in butter and vanilla and cooked for one minute to thicken. I let the pastry cream cool in an ice bath and then stored it in the fridge until I was ready to assemble the Fruit Tart.

Coming tomorrow: Classic French Fruit Tart