Crème Pâtissière

This is a standard you must have in your repertoire. With it, you have a delicious, stable custard to fill choux buns, éclairs and mille-feuille, and slather between layers of cake, brioche or crepes. So much can be done with this, including adding interesting extracts and praline pastes to flavour the custard how you want. You can do this the old-fashioned way, in a non-stick pot over the stove, but in a microwave it just never goes wrong.

MAKES ABOUT 1.5 LITRES (52 FL OZ/6 CUPS)

INGREDIENTS

1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) milk

6 egg yolks + 2 extra whole eggs

200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

100 g (3½ oz) wheaten cornflour (cornstarch), see note

60 g (2 oz) chilled unsalted butter, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract

1 tablespoon Cointreau OR Grand Marnier liqueur

METHOD

Microwave the milk in a large heatproof bowl for 4–5 minutes on the highest setting.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and extra eggs with the sugar until pale and thick. Do not allow the sugar to rest on the eggs for any length of time before whisking vigorously, or it will pickle the yolks unevenly and create a lumpy mixture. Whisk in the cornflour until smooth. Add to the hot milk, and whisk to combine.

Microwave for 2 minutes, then whisk madly until smooth. Repeat this twice, or until the mixture is very thick and swirls stay put like whipped cream. Cool for about 5 minutes, before whisking in the butter and vanilla until combined. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes, whisking enthusiastically every 10 minutes to get rid of any steam trapped in the custard and helping it to set. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the custard, and refrigerate overnight or until completely chilled before using. When ready to use, whip together the crème pâtissière and Cointreau with an electric mixer on high speed until silky and glossy.

If you want the crème pâtissière to be lighter, whisk in some Crème Chantilly (see here) or even a tiny bit of milk.