creme legere

Crème Légère (light cream) is a mix of Crème patissier (cream pastry) and freshly whipped cream. It&#039;s the perfect luxurious filling for any cake or dessert.

Crème Légère

Caster Sugar

Large Whole Eggs

Plain Flour

300 ml Double Cream

Vanilla Pod Seeded

Unsalted Butter

In a heat proof bowl, beat together the Sugar, Eggs and Flour until well combined.

Heat 200ml of the cream with the Vanilla Pod and Seeds until bubbles form, sieve then add to the Egg mixture. Mix until well combined.

Return the mixture to a clean pan and gently heat the Crème mixture beating all the time as it thickens to avoid lumps forming.

As soon as the mixture thickens take off the heat and add the butter, beating until all the butter has melted and incorporated in the creme mixture.

Place the Crème Pâtissière into a separate bowl and cover the top of the creme with cling film to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool completely, in the fridge if needed.

When completely cooled soften the Crème Pâtissière a little by giving it a quick whisk.

In a separate bowl whip the remaining (100g) cream until ribbons are formed then add to the smooth Crème Pâtissière, mix until well combined.

Leave in the fridge until required. Crème Pâtissière now becomes Crème Légère ~ Light Creme

Crème légère is a wonderful blend of pastry cream with whipped cream that makes the perfect filling for eclairs, cream puffs, tarts, millefeuille and so much more. 

Crème Légère (Pastry Cream with Whipped Cream)

g all-purpose flour (0.21 oz.)

cornstarch (0.21 oz.)

120 g whole milk (4.2 oz.)

g heavy cream (35% fat) (1.4 oz.)

g white granulated sugar, divided (1.4 oz.)

egg yolks,

unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces (0.7 oz.)

vanilla extract

heavy cream (35% fat), cold (3.2 oz.)

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

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.

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. 

Add the flour mixture and whisk once more to combine.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fill your pastries and enjoy!

Crème Diplomate is one of the many delicious French classic cream fillings, made by combining the vanilla pastry cream with heavy whipped cream. It&#039;s an incredibly versatile, scrumptious, light cream that serves as a great filling for various desserts.

Vanilla Crème Diplomate (Diplomat cream)

500 g whole milk

corn starch

g sugar

fine sea salt

vanilla extract vanilla

g unsalted butter

heavy cream (cold)

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk just until boiling point. 

In the meantime, in a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, egg, corn starch, sugar and salt using a whisk. 

Once the milk has reached scalding point, pour 2/3 of it to the egg mixture, in a slow and steady stream, whisking continuously so you don&#39;t cook the eggs. Once you tempered the egg mixture, return it to the saucepan with the remaining milk and continue cooking, whisking constantly, until it thickens.Cook for another 1-2 minutes to make sure there isn&#39;t any cornstarch aftertaste.

When it&#39;s done, add in the vanilla and butter and whisk until everything is combined, silky and smooth.

Strain the pastry cream to a clean bowl through a sieve, to get rid of any cooked egg bits and lumps. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) touching the surface to prevent skin forming. Let it cool at room temperature for about an hour, then place it in the fridge to cool completely.

Transfer the cold pastry cream to a mixing bowl (it will be stiff, gelatinous-like) and give it a mix with an electric hand mixer to make it creamy again.In a separate bowl, whisk the cold heavy cream to stiff peaks and add it to the pastry cream. Mix everything together at medium-high speed until fully combined and smooth.

Place the creme diplomate in a disposable piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle to fill choux, eclairs, doughnuts or cake! :)

To make the diplomat cream:

Great recipe thank you!
Do you think I could freeze the ‘crème pâtissière’? I’d like to make it in advance, so I just have to do add the cream on the day.

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