Candied Fruit Pastry Cream Recipes

PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.
• When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

PASTRY CREAM FOR FRUIT TARTS

Steps:

• Place milk, vanilla bean, and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat; cook until almost boiling.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until thickened. Sprinkle in cornstarch and flour and continue beating until well combined.
• Remove vanilla bean from milk. While whisking constantly, slowly pour heated-milk mixture into egg-yolk mixture. Pour mixture through a fine sieve back into saucepan, and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat, until it thickens and registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in butter until melted. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the pastry cream; refrigerate until completely cooled.

PANETTONE FILLED WITH CANDIED-FRUIT PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Turn panettone upside down. Peel paper off flat end but leave paper on sides. Using serrated knife and starting 1/2 inch from edge, cut around edge and down to 1 inch from rounded end of panettone (do not perforate top). Turn bread rounded side up. Insert serrated knife into side of bread just above paper and cut 3-inch-long horizontal slit. Insert knife in slit (do not perforate sides) and cut cylinder-shaped center of bread free. Insert fingertips into slit; press down to release cylinder. Remove cylinder; cut horizontally into 4 rounds.
• Place bread flat end up in bowl. Brush inside with some of rum mixture. Spoon 1 cup pastry cream into bread. Top with 1 bread round. Brush with some of rum mixture. Repeat layering twice with pastry cream, bread rounds and rum mixture. Cover with remaining bread round. Turn flat side down onto platter. Chill 4 hours.
• Stir chocolate and butter in heavy saucepan over low heat until smooth.
• Peel paper from sides of bread. Pour chocolate mixture over top, allowing to drip down sides. Sprinkle with almonds. Chill at least 6 hours or overnight.

CANDIED-FRUIT PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Place raisins in small bowl. Add 1/4 cup rum. Cover and let stand 2 hours. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add crushed cookies and amaretto and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Bring milk to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Using electric mixer, beat yolks and sugar in large bowl until thick and pale. Beat in vanilla. Sift flour into yolk mixture; whisk to blend. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Return to saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat until pastry cream boils and is very thick, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
• Drain raisins, reserving soaking liquid. Add 1/4 cup rum to liquid; reserve for panettone. Mix raisins, candied fruit and cookie mixture into pastry cream. Chill until cold, whisking often, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill pastry cream and rum mixture separately.)
• Beat whipping cream in bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into pastry cream

PASTRY CREAM FOR FRUIT TARLETS

Steps:

• In a saucepan over high heat, scald milk, vanilla bean and seeds, and 1/4 cup sugar.
• In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks with remaining tablespoon sugar until thick and pale. Sprinkle in cornstarch and flour; continue whisking until well combined.
• Remove vanilla bean from milk. Whisk half the hot milk into egg-yolk mixture. Combine with remaining hot milk; slowly bring to a boil. Continue whisking until thick, about 30 seconds. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl. Rub top with butter to prevent a skin from forming. Cover with plastic wrap, and let cool completely.