NEVER-FAIL PASTRY CREAM

MAKES ABOUT 750 G (1 LB 10 OZ)

Chef Neil Ferguson gave me this recipe in London. It always makes the best soufflés and never gets any lumps. Nowadays, we use this old soufflé base as pastry cream/custard/crème pâtissière wherever we need it.

460 ml (16¼ fl oz) milk

1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthways, seeds scraped

95 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

70 g (2½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

50 g (1¾ oz) butter

3 egg yolks

Put the milk in a saucepan with the vanilla bean and seeds, and 25 g (1 oz) of the sugar. Bring to a simmer.

Rub together the flour, butter and the remaining 70 g (2½ oz) of sugar until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Once the milk has come to the boil, remove the vanilla bean. Tip in the flour mixture all at once and cook, stirring, until there is no residual flour flavour. This will probably take about 5 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and begin whisking at low speed. Add the egg yolks and keep mixing until cool. This will probably take about 10 minutes.

Transfer to an airtight container. The pastry cream will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.