Custard is a rich, creamy dessert you can use to create bakery worthy desserts.
Custard can be used to make mille feuille, as a base for creme brulee, or as a filling for eclairs, tarts, croissants, and cakes.
Lemon
Lemon custard is a light and citrusy custard.
Lemon pastry cream is made by heating milk and lemon peel in a medium saucepan until just before it begins to boil.
The milk is removed from the heat source, and let to sit and infuse the lemon flavor into the milk.
An egg is whisked together with a couple of egg yolks and sugar, along with cornstarch and salt.
Lemon peel is removed from the warm milk, and then the eggs are tempered with the lemon infused milk.
After the milk has been added to the eggs, the entire mixture is placed back in the saucepan and heated on medium heat.
Lemon pastry cream will thicken, and then then it can be removed from the heat source. Add a couple of cubes of butter, and whisk in until they have completely melted.
Chill lemon pastry cream in the fridge for a few hours prior to using.
Coffee
Coffee custard has a powerful creamy espresso flavor.
Half and half is heated in a saucepan with espresso powder to infuse the coffee flavor.
In a separate bowl, egg yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch are whisked together.
Temper the eggs by added the hot half and half to the eggs slowly, and whisking vigorously.
Once all of the half and half is added to the eggs, place the entire mixture back in the saucepan and heat on medium heat.
Thicken the mixture until it becomes custard consistency. You’ll feel the resistance when the cornstarch becomes activated.
After the custard has thickened, it is removed from the heat source. Cubes of butter and vanilla bean paste are whisked in to finish off the coffee custard.
Chill the custard for a few hours prior to using.
Pistachio
Pistachio custard is a creamy and nutty custard.
Milk is heated in a saucepan with granulated sugar over medium heat.
In a separate bowl, more granulated sugar is whisked together with corn flour, along egg yolks.
Warm milk is slowly poured over the egg yolks and whisked together vigorously to temper the eggs.
After all of the heated milk has been added to the egg yolks, the entire mixture is returned to saucepan over medium heat to thicken.
Custard is removed from the heat source, and a few cubes of butter are whisked into the custard for a buttery finish.
Pistachio paste is mixed into the custard creating pistachio custard. Chill pistachio custard in the fridge for a few hours before using.
Banana Custard
Banana pastry cream is a light custard filling.
Milk is heated in a saucepan over medium heat until just before it begins to boil. Granulated sugar is added to the saucepan and set to low heat.
In another bowl, granulated sugar is whisked together with cornstarch and egg yolks.
Temper the eggs by slowly adding the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture and whisk vigorously.
Once all of the milk has been added to the eggs, it’s placed back into the saucepan and heated until the custard begins to thicken.
Banana cream is removed from the heat source, and then cubes of butter are melted into the custard.
Vanilla extract and mashed banana are whisked into the banana pastry cream and then it is set to cool.
Chill banana pastry cream in the fridge for a couple of hours prior to using.
Caramel
Caramel custard is a sweet custard with a hint of vanilla aroma.
Caramel sauce is made by cooking sugar in a saucepan until it turns a golden amber color.
Milk, granulated sugar, and a split vanilla bean are heated in a saucepan over low-medium heat.
Milk is added to the caramel sauce and whisked together.
In a separate bowl, egg yolks, eggs, and granulated sugar are whisked together along with a bit of cornstarch.
Caramel milk mixture is slowly added to the eggs to temper the eggs.
After the caramel milk is completely mixed into the eggs, the entire egg mixture is poured back into the saucepan and heated on medium until it begins to thicken.
After caramel custard has thickened, it’s cooled to room temperature, and chilled for a few hours.
Vanilla Bean
Vanilla bean custard has a lovely vanilla aroma, and is thick enough to be used for fancy desserts like mille feuille, or vanilla custard filled croissants.
Milk is heated in a saucepan over medium heat with vanilla paste or a vanilla pod (sliced in half and seeds placed into the saucepan).
In a separate bowl, egg yolks and granulated sugar are whisked together with cornstarch.
Just before the milk begins to boil, slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture to temper the eggs.
Whisk milk vigorously so the eggs do not cook!!
After the milk has been completely mixed into the eggs, place the entire mixture back into the saucepan and heat on medium heat.
Whisk vanilla pastry cream as it begins to thicken.
Remove it from the heat source and let it cool. Place it in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours to chill.
Chocolate
Chocolate custard is a luscious custard full of creamy chocolate flavor.
Chocolate pastry cream is made heating milk with vanilla paste in a saucepan on low heat.
In a separate bowl, egg yolks are whisked together with sugar and cornstarch.
Temper the eggs by pouring the hot milk into the eggs slowly, and whisking vigorously. You do not want to cook the eggs!
Once all of the milk has been added to the eggs, place the entire mixture back in the saucepan, and heat on low heat to thicken the custard.
After the custard has thickened, add chopped dark chocolate to the custard.
Whisk until the chocolate completely melts into the pastry cream.
Let the custard cool, and then chill in the fridge.
Mocha
Mocha custard is a chocolate and espresso flavored custard.
Mocha custard is made by adding espresso powder to your milk when making the custard base.
Once you have created your custard base by tempering your eggs and thickening the custard, the custard is removed from the heat source.
Butter and dark chocolate are added and mixed into the espresso custard.
When the butter and dark chocolate have fully melted and combined into your mocha pastry cream, let it cool.
Chill the mocha custard for a couple of hours prior to using.
Hibiscus
Hibiscus custard is a floral, and sweet custard.
Hibiscus custard is made by adding dried hibiscus, milk, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a saucepan until milk begins to simmer.
In another heat proof bowl, egg yolks, sugar, and flour is whisked together.
Temper the eggs by slowly adding the warmed milk mixture to the eggs and whisking vigorously until all of the milk is mixed in.
Add the tempered egg and milk mixture back to the saucepan and cook until the custard thickens up. It should be a pudding consistency.
Strain the mixture, and cover it in plastic wrap.
Let it cool, and refrigerate hibiscus custard for a couple of hours.
Lime
Lime custard is a tart and citrusy custard,
Lime custard is made by heating together granulated sugar, cornstarch, freshly grated lime zest, lime juice, egg yolks and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
Lime custard needs to be whisked together until it comes to a boil. Butter is immediately added, and whisked into the custard, and then it is removed from the heat source.
Let the custard cool, and then place it in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill.
