PASTRY CREAMS

Pastry Cream or crème patissière is a rich, thick stirred custard, cooked on the stove, made from a mixture of milk or cream, eggs, sugar, flour (roux) and/or cornstarch.

Pastry cream is a staple in pastry kitchens and originated in France. This versatile cream is used to fill cream puffs, éclairs, Napoléons, tarts, and other pastries. It is spread in between cake layers, such as Boston Cream Pie, and using as a base for endless recipes. It is called the "Mother of all creams!"

Pastry Cream is versatile and can be easily flavored with vanilla beans, liqueur, coffee and fruit purees are some complementary flavourings are often added.

CARE AND PRECAUTIONS

1.   Do NOT make Pastry Cream in an aluminum pot because it gives a grayish coloration to it.

2.   If the heat is too high or you are stirring too slow at the point when the pastry cream reaches a boil, it will lump. If this happens, pass it through a strainer immediately, before it cools.

3.   When removing the cooked Pastry Cream from the pot to another container, do not scrape the bottom of the pan. You often see a layer of the cooked or burned mixture on the bottom of the pan and you don't want to mix it in with the good stuff.

4.   Always strain your Pastry Cream while still warm through a fine mesh strainer before chilling. You want to make sure you strain out the small lumps which are really the chalazae parts of the egg.

5.   Once made and while still warm, press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the Pastry Cream, and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. Chilling thickens the filling, so make it first, then make the rest of the recipe. But don’t whisk the cold Pastry Cream — it breaks down the starch, thinning it.

6.   Never leave a recipe that includes Pastry Cream out on a hot day; it is an ideal mixture for bacteria! Refrigerate cakes or any recipe made with pastry cream fillings or whipped cream frostings immediately. You can freeze cakes with filled with pastry cream, but it won't be quite the same nice texture as before and may make the cake soggy. Remember to thaw and then store the cake in the refrigerator.

i)                    Crème Anglaise                             ii)         Crème Patisserie

CRÈME PATISSERIE
Milk	100%
Sugar	1st batch (12.5%)
Egg yolk	8%
Eggs	11%
Corn starch	8%
Sugar	2nd batch (12.5%)
Butter	6%
Vanilla extract	1.5%
Method:

i)                    In a heavy bottomed saucepan, dissolve the first batch of sugar in the milk and bring it to a boil.

ii)                  Separately beat the egg yolks, eggs and remaining sugar in a stainless steel bowl.

iii)                Sift the corn starch into the above mixture and heat until perfectly smooth. Slowly add in the hot milk.

iv)                Return the mixture to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.

v)                  When the mixture thickens, remove from the heat and blend in the butter and vanilla extract.

vi)                Dust lightly with powdered sugar and cover with a wax paper, to prevent crust formation.

vii)              Cool and chill as quickly as possible and use for filling pastries such as éclairs, Mille Feuille, gateaux etc.

CRÈME ANGLAISE (ENGLISH CUSTARD)

Milk	100%
Egg yolks	25%
Sugar	25%
Vanilla extract Method:	1.5%

i)                    Combine the egg yolk with sugar in a assess bowl, and whip until thick and light.

ii)                  Very gradually pour in hot milk, stirring throughout.

iii)                Transfer the bowl over a double boiler. Stir until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, or until it reaches 85°C.

iv)                Immediately remove from the heat and place it over a pan of chilled water to stop cooking. Stir in the vanilla . (nit added to hot mixture) and stir the sauce occasionally as it cools.

v)                  It is used as a filling for éclairs, and tarts like Tart Alsatian.

CRÈME CHANTILY

Whipped cream along with confectioner’s sugar and flavouring.

MERINGUE

Egg white and sugar whipped together until stiff and forms soft peaks. Can be used as filling for tarts.

CHIBOUS

Meringue and crème patisserie; and stabilised by gelatin.

GANACHE

Also known as rich chocolate cream and is a combination of 3 parts of heavy cream and 4 parts of dark chocolate.

LEMON CURD

It is a custard made over double boiler using eggs, sugar, butter and lime juice with lemon rind. It is cooled and piped into tarts.