Podcast recipe
Duration 2:27 – Steps 5
Eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Few ingredients for one of the most popular creams: custard. Let’s find out together with the Master Pastry Chef Iginio Massari how to make the perfect custard. This cream is among the most used in pastry, together with chantilly or lo eggnog, to fill many desserts. In cream puffs, in puff pastry desserts (such as cannoncini, vol-au-vent, millefeuille), but also among the soft layers of the more classic Sponge cake custard is always welcome, even flavoured: pistachiolemon, hazelnuts, orange! This basic pastry preparation is also used to make semifreddos, puddings and many puddings, such as our delicious one tile cake; moreover it is a fundamental component of other pastry creams, for example the diplomatic and the mousselines. It is a very versatile preparation: just change the doses of some ingredients to obtain different and appropriate consistencies for the use you will make of them! For example, to thicken it more it is sufficient to use more cornstarch, on the contrary you will have to decrease the dose if you would like to taste it by the spoon. Follow the procedure step by step with Master Pastry Chef Iginio Massari and discover all the tricks to prepare it!
Read the recipe in English
To prepare the custard, first place a glass bowl in the freezer. At this point, extract the seeds from the vanilla 1 and cut the pods into pieces 2. Pour the milk into a pan and add both the seeds 3 than vanilla pods.
Remove the zest from the lemon, taking only the yellow part, and add it to the pan 4. Turn on the heat and heat everything up, bringing it to a boil and stirring occasionally. In another pan, pour the egg yolks, sugar and rice starch 5. Using a soft whisk, mix to obtain a creamy and smooth consistency 6.
As soon as the milk is close to boiling, transfer it into the yolks in 3 times, filtering it with a strainer 7 and always mixing with a whisk 8. Transfer back to the heat and stir continuously until it thickens 9.
To cool it quickly, take the bowl out of the freezer and pour the cream inside 10. Mix with a whisk very quickly, until you have brought the cream to 50°, below the cooking point. You will have to obtain a smooth and very shiny cream 11. At this point the custard is ready 12you can use it or store it in the refrigerator by covering it with plastic wrap.
