Looking for Signs

When everything is finally incorporated on the stove top your pastry cream will be quite foamy from all the stirring. Watch carefully, the foam starts to disappear as the cream thickens. This departure of foam is the sign that your pastry cream is getting close to finished.

The Big 80

It is important to continue stirring your pastry cream throughout the entire cooking process. Try drawing an “80” or rather make a figure eight in the pan, then immediately run your whisk around the base forming a 0. Keep drawing this “80” shape to be sure your pastry cream never burns. Though the 80 is impressive it is not mandatory; you can also simply stir your pastry cream continuously. We cannot stress enough how pertinent paying attention to the sides of the pan can be.

Starchy

The cooking of the pastry cream is arguably the most important part. Take it out too soon and you have a thin pastry cream that won’t hold up in recipes. Overcook it and it will be a lumpy mess. Also, keep in mind that pastry cream always has either cornstarch or flour in it to thicken. It is important that you get your pastry cream hot enough and cook it long enough to get rid of any lingering starchy taste. So watch carefully, stir continuously, and taste shamelessl to be sure you’ve cooked out all the starch.

Butter

Allow the pastry cream to come to room temperature (still warm but not hot) before introducing the butter, which should also be room temperature. If you add the butter when the pastry cream is still too warm your butter will melt and never emulsify properly. This can ruin the texture of the pastry cream you’ve been slaving over.

Finishing Up

When all ingredients have been incorporated and the pastry cream is finally finished, be sure to cover it with plastic wrap. Press the plastic down until it makes contact with the pastry cream. This allows the cream to cool in the refrigerator without forming an unsightly “skin” which would later have to be strained out before using.

Armed with our fool-proof guide to troubleshooting your pastry cream, success is all but guaranteed. Though there are many places one can go wrong, once you know what to look for, the process becomes an easy almost therapeutic task. If your establishment currently outsources its pastry cream, we recommend trying to make it in house. The possibilities are endless, the cost lower, and the final product is far superior.