Pastry Cream

[achevres]

I always strain creme anglaise, lemon curd and other puddings with egg yolks to strain out the little"tail" on the yolks. And I do see them on the mesh. I figure that after stirring these desserts for a while, it's worth the little extra trouble to make sure they are totally smooth.

I use a regular sieve like the plastic ones here: sieves. I have the plastic kind in 3 sizes (mini, medium and large). I like them because of the flat surface of the mesh allows the pudding to be worked though with a flat spatula or flat wooden spoon like a tamis. They are not fine mesh, and therefore, the puddings go though quickly.

I also use these to sift or to strain raspberry seeds out of puree.

[nightscotsman]

we strain during the process of making pastry cream, but certainly not after it's cooked. Here's our process:

bring milk and vanilla beans (yes, we go through a LOT of beans) to a boil. Turn off, cover pot with plastic and let steep for at least half and hour. Mix egg yolks, sugar and pastry cream powder (a product consisting mostly of corn starch, non-fat milk powder, vanilla, and a little yellow color). Temper hot milk into yolks. Strain though a chinoise back into another pot and bring to a full boil whisking vigorously. Be sure to keep at a boil for a minute or two to cook out the starchy taste. Dump into Hobart bowl and beat with a paddle on low speed for about 15-20 minutes to smooth out and cool a bit before chilling.

There is one mistake that can make your cream turn out grainy: when you add the sugar to the yolks and don't whisk right away. The sugar will "cook" the yolks and you'll get little rubbery grains that will never cook out.

[iii_bake]

I just made the pastry cream, straining during the process as well.

I got beautiful smooth cream but a bit too runny.

Is there anyway to fix this?I would love it to be thicker, it has been cooled down completely though.

And, if i need this for my eclair what should be the right consistency?

[chiantiglace]

well really, if the pastry cream is made properly you do not even need to strain it. If its too runny that could be the cause of two things, either not having enough cornstarch in the recipe or not properly gelatinizing what you already have in the recipe.

The proper consinstency should be thinck but also smooth and creamy. You should re-whip it right before filling to give you that smooth creaminess. Set, the pastry cream should be thick enough to basically tear. You should be able to pick up whole chunks at a time, but there should be NO LUMPS.

[iii_bake]

I used CIA's recipe but added the straining steps as per instruction in Pierre Herme's recipe.

Maybe i took the cream out of heat too soon.

Will try again,

Thanks

[pen_h]

If you need to pass something thick, a good tip is to have a large square of muslin, put it in a bowl, pour/dollop your sauce/ganache/whatever on to the muslin, gather up the corners, and squeeze - instantly, it passes through and all the lumps disappear.

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I got a cotton jelly bag - something like this (you can also get one with a stand, like this)- and it's much less messy than using cheesecloth or muslin for something like this. The squeezing-through trick works great. And I also use it for draining yogurt - there was a yogurt string here a few months ago but I can't find it. Anyway, that's off-topic...