Pasticciera Cream (italian Pastry Cream )

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons sugar (or confectioner's sugar)
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind (omit for chocolate pasticciera cream) (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 ounces baking chocolate, grated

Recipe

• 1 place sugar, egg yolks flour, lemon rind (if using it), and vanilla in a sauce pan and mix together well.
• 2 in a separate sauce pan, scald milk.
• 3 very slowly pour milk over egg yolk mixture, in a thin stream, beating constantly with rotary beater.
• 4 continue cooking on low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture reaches the boiling point.
• 5 cook 4 minutes longer, stirring constantly.
• 6 (**at this point, if making chocolate pasticciera cream, add chocolate and while stirring, cook 1 minute longer.) remove pan from heat, add butter and mix well.
• 7 pour into bowl and let cool, stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming over the top.
• 8 if using as a cake/pastry filling, chill (with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming) until very thick at least 3-4 hours.
• 9 for chocolate pasticciera cream: **add grated chocolate to cooked pasticciera cream and cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly, until chocolate is blended well.
• 10 cool/chill before using as a cake/pastry filling.