Step 1

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Set aside.

Step 2

Heat up the milk with the scraped vanilla bean and half of the sugar. (If using vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, add it just when the milk comes to a boil.)

Step 3

While the milk is heating up, whisk together the rest of the sugar, flour, corn starch egg, and egg yolks.

Step 4

Once the milk comes to a boil, turn the heat off. Hold the pot of hot milk over the bowl of the egg mixture and start whisking the egg mixture. As you whisk, pour in approximately one-third of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

Step 5

Pour the tempered egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the heated milk. Whisk to combine.

Step 6

Turn the heat to medium high and whisk the mixture constantly. Once it comes to a boil, set a timer for 2 minutes and continue whisking and cooking for exactly 2 minutes.

Step 7

Immediately pour the pastry cream onto plastic wrap lined baking sheet (it's a good idea to pour it through a strainer) and enclose it tightly with the plastic wrap touching the entire surface to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream. Allow it to cool to room temperature.