italian pastry cream

How to make Italian Pastry Cream (Crema Pasticcera) from scratch in only 10 minutes. This smooth and creamy vanilla pastry cream can be used for so many delicious desserts from Italian doughnuts, pastries, cakes or tarts, the list is endless!

Italian Pastry Cream - Crema Pasticcera

egg yolks ((large eggs))

sugar ((70 grams))

cornstarch (Cornflour in the UK (30 grams))

full-fat milk ((560 milliliters))

vanilla paste

Warm the milk and vanilla in a saucepan then set aside (make sure it’s just warm and not hot).

Mix the egg yolks and sugar together until combined then add the cornstarch and mix it thoroughly.

Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg mixture whilst whisking constantly to avoid any lumps.

Once incorporated, pour the egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan and heat it on a low heat.

Stir the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is very thick in consistency (about 10 minutes).

Once thickened, pour the pastry cream into a clean bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top to stop a skin forming.

Let the mixture cool then place in the fridge until ready to use.

Crema Pasticcera is a decadent Italian pastry cream with a hint of vanilla. This recipe makes the perfect topping for pastries and cakes!

Italian Pastry Cream

milk (divided (preferably whole or 2%))

heavy whipping cream

vanilla extract

egg yolks (room temperature)

all-purpose flour

sugar

salted butter

In a medium saucepan, combine ½ cup milk and 1 cup heavy cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until almost boiling (4-5 minutes). When the milk begins to steam, remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and set aside.

Whisk together egg yolks in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk remaining ½ cup milk into the egg yolks until combined.  While whisking, slowly sift the flour into the egg/milk, incorporating all of the flour into a smooth mixture.

Whisk the sugar into the egg mixture until combined.

Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. I like to spoon the hot milk into the egg while whisking. Continue adding the hot milk until it has all been incorporated.

Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer back into the saucepan (this will remove any lumps of cooked egg).

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a simmer, about 5 minutes. Simmer for one minute while mixture thickens and then remove from heat.

Transfer pastry cream to a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap down onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Refrigerate the mixture until completely cooled, about 2-3 hours.

Crema pasticcera al pistachio, pistachio Italian pastry cream, is one of the standard and most common ingredients used in Italian pastries and cakes. It’s the creamy, custardy filling in common Italian tarts, layer cakes, and pastries. Once you make this version with a pistachio twist you will be hooked!

Italian Pistachio Cream 

egg yolks, discard whites

45 g (1/3 Cup+ 1 tablespoon) of cornstarch

3.5 oz (100 gr) blanched pistachios

liter (2 Cups) of whole milk

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil and add the shelled pistachios. Let them boil for 4 minutes then drain them and place them on a clean kitchen towel.

Fold the towel over and rub the pistachios in the towel to loosen the skins. Separate the pistachios from the skins and discard the skins.

Add the pistachios to a food processor (or high power blender) with only ¼ cup (60ml) of the milk. Keep pulsing on high on and off for 5 minutes until the pistachios turn into a smooth paste. Stop the food processor 3-4 times to scrape down the sides. 

 Leave pistachio mixture in the blender. Cover and set aside. Start making the cream. 

In a medium mixing bowl whip the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

 Add the egg and cornstarch mixture to the blender with the pistachio cream. Mix until combined and smooth- this is your pistachio mixture. Set aside. 

 In a sauce pan heat the milk. Turn heat to medium and warm milk until a soft boil (little bubbles on the sides and steam starts to form).

When the milk is hot, remove from heat. Using a whisk- start adding the pistachio mixture, a little at a time into the milk. It’s very important to stir constantly until you achieve a unified mixture.

Put the saucepan back on low heat and continue whisking. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes until the cream begins to thicken. It’s very important that the cream NEVER BOILS. In this way you have a smooth cream without lumps and without chunks of cooked egg.

If you have a cooking thermometer you can check that the temperature never exceeds 85°C (185 F). Otherwise, as soon as you see that bubbles begin to form in the cream, lower the heat. You can even remove it from the heat for a few seconds and put it back. 

Keep cooking on low medium heat until cream is thickened. When the cream is well thickened (it will stick to the back of a spoon and not drip off), remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Immediately pour it into a cold glass container. Important to remove the pistachio cream immediately from hot saucepan to prevent it from cooking longer.

While cooling, cover the cream with plastic wrap. Keep it in contact with the cream. This step is to avoid forming a skin on the cream surface. Refrigerate at least 3 hours for it to set.

It is just like the kind we eat in Italy!

Great recipe! The cream turned out delicious. I’m excited to make it again soon.

Follow this easy to make recipe for authentic pistachio cream! Anyone can make this delicious recipe.

super easy recipe that turned out so yummy!

If you love this recipe you will also love the pistachio gelato you can make with it!

I made it using the metric measurements, and it came out very thick. I like the way it's' not too sweet. 

It's eventually going to to become gelato (machine arrives this week), so I will continue onto the gelato recipe when it arrives.

I used pistachio paste (basically ground pistachios, nothing else) made it much easier to do.

I also mixed the milk into the eggs, not the way mentioned in the recipe since it's the way I always made creme patissiere for the past 4 decades, and never do my eggs scramble (and easier to handle).

Looking forward to the gelato.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1655519739/jju3lcqumyc1fee3mhwh.mp4

Calling all pistachio lovers! This BEST Italian Pistachio Pastry Cream is smooth, decadent, and rich. With a few simple ingredients and 30 minutes time you can enjoy it too!

Best Italian Pistachio Cream

A rich and thick lightly scented lemon-infused pastry cream recipe made with eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. This gluten-free pastry cream is referred to as crema pasticcera in Italian and is an essential component in many Italian desserts.

Italian Lemon Pastry Cream Recipe

milk (whole

lemon (organic) (peel)

egg (room temperature)

sugar, granulated (scant)

cornstarch (sifted)

salt

butter (see note)

In a medium, heavy saucepan, over medium heat, combine the milk and lemon peel.

When the milk starts to steam, remove from heat (do not allow milk to boil). Let stand for at least 10 minutes allowing the lemon peel to infuse the milk.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs with sugar for one minute.

Sift cornstarch and salt together.

Add these dry ingredients to egg mixture.

Whisk continuously for about 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes light-colored.

Remove lemon peel from the milk.

While whisking continuously, add a ladle of hot milk to the egg mixture.

Gradually add all the hot milk while whisking.

Transfer mixture to saucepan and over medium heat, whisk continuously for about 5 minutes. Mixture will thicken. Do not allow mixture to come to a boil.&nbsp;

Once the mixture has thickened, remove from heat.

Allow the mixture to cool down for a few minutes.

Add about two tablespoons of cut up butter and whisk into the mixture until fully incorporated,

Transfer mixture to a ceramic or glass dish.

Place a piece of plastic wrap in direct contact with the pastry cream.

Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.

Refrigerate until ready to use&nbsp; (should be used within 3 days).

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1549503684/agaoml2pnjxa674e2slk.mp4

A rich and thick, lightly scented lemon infused pastry cream made with eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. This gluten-free pastry cream is an essential component in many Italian desserts

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Italian Pastry Cream

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Top 4 italian pastry cream recipes from across the web

The most viewed italian pastry cream recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Italian Pastry Cream - Crema Pastic...

Italian Pastry Cream

Italian Pistachio Cream

Italian Lemon Pastry Cream Recipe

The most viewed italian pastry cream recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine