Crème Légère (Pastry Cream with Whipped Cream)

Step 1

Preparing the pastry cream: Sift together the flour and cornstarch through a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl. Set aside.

Step 2

Pour the milk, heavy cream and part of the sugar (about a third) in a small pot. Heat over medium-high heat until just simmering.

Step 3

In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar in a medium-sized bowl until combined. Whisk as soon as you add the sugar to the egg yolks or you will “cook” the eggs.

Step 4

Add the flour mixture and whisk once more to combine.

Step 5

Remove the hot liquids from the heat and gradually pour over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. You don't have to pour all the liquids if you don't have enough space in your bowl. You can pour about half or just enough to dilute the eggs and raise their temperature.

Step 6

Return the mixture to the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Keep whisking to prevent lumps from forming. Reduce the heat if needed.

Step 7

Once the foam subsides and the cream starts to thicken, keep an eye out for bubbles forming. When this happens, keep heating for another 2 minutes to fully cook the starch and get rid of any starchy taste. Remove from the heat.

Step 8

Add the cold butter and vanilla extract and whisk until the butter has completely melted and the cream is smooth. Pour the cream into a wide bowl to obtain a thin layer. This will ensure the cream cools down quickly. Tip: If you notice lumps in the pastry cream, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl.

Step 9

Place a piece of parchment paper or cling film straight onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set.

Step 10

Preparing the whipped cream: In a cold bowl, using a whisk or a hand mixer, whip the cold heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks. When you hold the whisk up, the cream should form a peak that holds its shape. Stop as soon as you get stiff peaks to avoid overwhipping the cream. Note: The quantity is quite small so you can do this step with a whisk. You'll be less likely to overwhip the cream. If using a hand-mixer, start mixing on low speed and gradually increase it to medium-high.

Step 11

Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator and whisk it until smooth. The pastry cream will look thick and dense when you take it out of the fridge so you have to loosen it a little (by whisking) before adding the whipped cream.

Step 12

Whisk in about a tablespoon of whipped cream. You don’t need to be extra gentle at this step. You are just trying to lighten the pastry cream a little more.

Step 13

Gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the pastry cream in 2-3 more additions, being careful not to deflate the cream. Stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of cream. You don’t want to deflate the whipped cream so use a spatula or a metal spoon and gently move it from the middle of the bowl towards the bottom and then up the sides. Rotate the bowl and do the same just until the cream is combined.

Step 14

Fill your pastries and enjoy!