Simple "Any Kind of Dessert" Pastry Cream

Pastry cream is a staple in many desserts. I know I use and make it a lot. This pastry cream isn't as sweet which is great to balance out some other desserts. This pastry cream (along with another variation) was used in Delicious Phyllo Dough Squares and Pumpkin Pie Eclairs. This cream's main ingredient is eggs instead of sugar so it is much healthier. Simple "Any Kind of Dessert" Pastry Cream is great for all dessert and easy to make too.


Also please vote for this instructable in the CHOW Thanksgiving Recipes Contest! :) 

To make this yummy pastry cream, you'll need:

• 1 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs

Some equipment you need:

• a saucepan
• a wooden spoon
• some mixing bowls

Combine the cup of  milk with half the sugar (1/8 cup) in a saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil. Stir constantly to keep the bottom from burning.

In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the sugar, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and the 2 eggs. Be sure to check that the mixture is smooth and there are no cornstarch pieces.

Slowly add the egg mixture into the saucepan while stirring. Bring this mixture to a full boil until the mixture starts coming together. Quickly remove it from the heat.

Add the vanilla or any other flavoring you want to use. This is also the time where you add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted and your finished with the pastry cream!

You can add other flavorings to the cream. In Pumpkin Pie Eclairs, I added some pumpkin pie filling to the cream to add a little fall flavor. Here are some other options (if you noticed, yes these are some of the same flavorings I used in my frosting recipe):

Chocolate Cream:

1 1/2 Teaspoon of cocoa powder to be added with the egg mixture in step 3

Coffee Cake Frosting:

A Sprinkle of Cinnamon
3/4 Teaspoon or less Vanilla Extract
Enough instant coffee to make the vanilla have the consistency of syrup

Mango Frosting:

1/4 of a ripe mango crushed to a pulp

For almost all fruits substitute mango for the chosen fruit

Lemon Frosting:

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to be added in step 3
Lemon rind

Cranberry

1 Tablespoon of cranberry jam/jelly

Be creative!

Simple "Any Kind of Dessert" Pastry Cream is great for all occasions, for all desserts. It's sure to please anyone and it is versatile to fit any cravings. Make some next time :)