Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
Quite similar to crème anglaise but much thicker. It is used in many pastries like choux pastry (pâte à choux) or millefeuille.
Last modified on: January 27th 2017
Keywords for this recipe:ConfectionerCustardBakeryPastryDessertVanillaFor 720 g, you will need:
- 1
6 egg yolks - 2
100 g caster sugar - 3
500 ml milk - 4
40 g cornflour - 5
1 vanilla pod - Total weight: 763 grams
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
| Preparation | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| 29 min. | 7 min. | 36 min. |
At what time:
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ? - Work this out...
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 20 min.
Pour 500 ml milk into a pan, and add the inside of 1 vanilla pod (the little black seeds) after carefully scraping them out with the tip a knife.
Bring to the boil on medium heat. As soon as it boils, take off the heat, cover and leave vanilla to infuse 10 minutes.
Bring to the boil on medium heat. As soon as it boils, take off the heat, cover and leave vanilla to infuse 10 minutes.
Stage 2 - 2 min.
Meanwhile, put 6 egg yolks in a bowl and add 100 g caster sugar, and without delay beat to mix thoroughly.
It is not necessary to beat for a long time to whiten, so it can be done by hand with a whisk in 1 minute.
It is not necessary to beat for a long time to whiten, so it can be done by hand with a whisk in 1 minute.
Stage 4 - 2 min.
Then slowly pour the hot milk onto the mixture while beating continuously until thoroughly mixed.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Transfer the mixture back into the pan.
Stage 6
Unlike for crème anglaise or crème brûlée, it is not essential to remove the froth, it will get mixed in during cooking.
But it's better...
But it's better...
Stage 7 - 7 min.
Put the pan on low-medium heat, and cook gently while beating continuously.
It's important to scrape the whisk over the bottom of the pan to avoid custard sticking.
It's important to scrape the whisk over the bottom of the pan to avoid custard sticking.
Stage 8
Cooking is complete when custard is of a good consistency, in other words like a thickish purée, but not too firm..
The custard thickens quite quickly, especially if the heat is high, so do not to hesitate to take pan off heat, while continuing to stir, if this happens.
Also, remember that your custard will continue cooking for a little while after being removed from the heat, so bear this in mind when deciding at what point to stop...
The custard thickens quite quickly, especially if the heat is high, so do not to hesitate to take pan off heat, while continuing to stir, if this happens.
Also, remember that your custard will continue cooking for a little while after being removed from the heat, so bear this in mind when deciding at what point to stop...
Stage 9
Once custard is finished, cover the pan to avoid a skin forming.
Later, if you use the custard cold and it is too stiff, beat one or two tablespoonsful of cream into it vigorously.
Later, if you use the custard cold and it is too stiff, beat one or two tablespoonsful of cream into it vigorously.
Stage 10
When finished, cream is very hot, if you want to use it immediately you should cool it.
The easier solution is to put it in the fridge, but it's quite long.
The best way is to proceed as chefs, and spread it on a plastic film (to protect from the air) then put it in the fridge.
The easier solution is to put it in the fridge, but it's quite long.
The best way is to proceed as chefs, and spread it on a plastic film (to protect from the air) then put it in the fridge.
Stage 11
This short video show you how to proceed.
Remarks
It's possible to flavour confectioner's custurd with other things rather than vanilla: coffee, alcohols, etc... You can also make a chocolate custard by folding about 100 g of chocolate, broken in small pieces into the custard with the whisk while it is still hot.
Keeping
Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Nutritional information
| Whole recipe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 1,356 Kcal or 5,677 Kj | 48 gr | 146 gr | 64 gr |
| 68 % | 19 % | 14 % | 10 % |
| Per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 178 Kcal or 745 Kj | 6 gr | 19 gr | 8 gr |
| 9 % | 2 % | 2 % | 1 % |
How much will it cost?
Some recipes that use this recipe
Pear and chocolate tart with a hint of mint
Thick slices of poached pears in a blind-baked sweetcrust pastry case, their centres filled with mint-flavoured confectioner's custard, and surrounded by a chocolate cream, set by baking briefly in the oven. The flavours of pears, chocolate and mint work perfectly together to create a truly...
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This classic French "viennoiserie" is a sweet bun containing confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière) and rum-soaked raisins. It demands a bit of skill, but is not too complicated.
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Fraisier (French strawberry cake)
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Paris-Brest
The Paris-Brest is a famous French patisserie: a ring of choux pastry, scattered with flaked almonds and icing sugar and filled with a praline cream. The name comes from a historic cycle race between Paris and Brest (600 km or 372 miles), as the shape is like a bicycle wheel.
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Source
After Gaston Lenôtre.
This recipe uses (among others)
 | Milk: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Potimarron (Japanese chestnut pumpkin) purée, Household cake (Gâteau de ménage), Chocolate eclairs, Pan-baked hash brown (Hash-brown casserole), Doughnuts, ... All |
 | Caster sugar: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Almond macaroon cake, Apple paste, You should not leave egg yolks in contact with sugar, Little apple turnovers with almonds and raisins, Crème caramel, ... All |
 | Cornflour: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Rabbit civet "à la normande", Eggs meurette, Peach and verbena feuilleté, Pistachio cream, Crusty pistachio, almond and apricot flan, ... All |
 | Egg yolk: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Lemon Confectioner's Custard, Asparagus "en petit pois", Chocolate cream, Quiche filling mixture, Butter cream, ... All |
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In the past, when corn flour was not existing, that how pastry chef does.
You can also reduce caster sugar of one teaspoon and add a teaspoon of vanilla sugar instead.