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.
40 min.
Easy
720 g
5 IngredientsLast modified on: January 27th 2017
For 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: 765 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 30 min.
Cooking: 7 min.
All in all: 40 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
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.
Source: After Gaston Lenôtre.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 50 RDI=20 % | 150 RDI=10 % | 60 RDI=10 % | 1,360 RDI=70 % | 5,680 RDI: 70 % |
| Per 100 g | 6 RDI=2 % | 20 RDI=2 % | 8 RDI=1 % | 180 RDI=9 % | 740 RDI: 9 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 720 g : $4.40
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 20
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...
43 K 2 hours
Almond cream or frangipane
Light and delicious, it is used in a lot of desserts like tarts, cakes and pies (epiphany galette).
466 K 25 45 min.
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.
198 K4.6 2 hours 20 min.
Yvetot Douillons
This dessert, named after a small town in Normandy, consists of a pear filled with confectioner's custard (French pastry cream), which is wrapped in a pancake and puff pastry, then baked. The "douillon" part of the name comes from a warm coat, the "douillette", of former times.
83 K4.3 1 hour 3 min.
Strawberries with mint and cream
Minty confectioner's custard, diced strawberries and whipped cream.
250 K5 1 hour 30 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Milk
Like these other recipes: Potato Waffles with Smoked Salmon, Doughnuts, Muffin dough, Toasted almond cake, Mustard baps, ... See them all 60
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Santiago Cake, Sushi, Chaud-froid of grapefruit, pineapple and lime custard , Citrus tart, Peach and verbena feuilleté, ... See them all 361
Cornflour
Like these other recipes: Pumpkin (or potimarron) soup, Chocolate-verbena cream, Pistachio cream, Du Barry soup, Apple custard tart, ... See them all 33
Egg yolk
Like these other recipes: Sausage with duchess potatoes and a Mont d'Or fondue , Finger biscuits, Panettone, Ramekins of duchess potatoes, Panettone, ... See them all 74
Other recipes you may also like
Hotpot my grandmother's way
If you like slow-cooked dishes prepared with loving care (mitonné), you will certainly love this hotpot recipe, with the taste of Franche-Comté, inspired by my grandmother. It's an old-fashioned dish full of flavours and aromas, cooked vegetables, stock, smoked sausages, all cooked long and slow.February 21th 2011348 K5 4 hours 7 min.
Panna cotta
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert which means "cooked cream". It's a set vanilla cream, similar to blancmange, which is frequently served with other things like fruit coulis (fruit purée), caramel etc.. Here is the basic panna cotta recipe.February 21th 2011357 K4.3 25 min.
Alsatian-style salad
This salad is based on a traditional Alsatian recipe: cabbage julienne, warm potatoes, bacon, parsley and vinaigrette.January 3rd 2014288 K4.4 1 hour 15 min.
"BN style" chocolate-filled biscuits
These are similar to the BN biscuits so well-known in France. They are a sandwich of chocolate filling between two layers of biscuit. Children adore them!March 21th 2011220 K 24.6 5 hours 15 min.
Piedmont salad
Piedmont salad is a mix of potaotes, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, gherkins and cervelas sausage dressed with mayonnaise.September 29th 2012283 K 14.5 1 hour 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-08-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 11 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 31 comments already posted on this recipe
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.