Espresso Pastry Cream Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla bean pod and seeds, and salt. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer. Whisk in espresso powder.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1/2 cup hot-milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. Pour mixture back into saucepan, whisking constantly, and cook over medium heat, whisking, until it thickens and comes to a boil. Let boil for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat; add butter and stir until melted. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• Just before using, whisk pastry cream until smooth. Whisk cream until soft peaks form; fold into pastry cream.

Steps:

• Stir together the milk, salt, vanilla bean and seeds and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the sugar has just dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch, egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until smooth. While continually whisking, slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture. Continue to whisk until smooth. (This is called tempering, and it will prevent the yolks from scrambling.) Continue whisking and adding 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture at a time until completely combined and smooth.
• Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and the texture of pudding, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the butter until smooth and glossy. Remove the vanilla bean.
• Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the pastry cream, and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Before serving, whisk the pastry cream until smooth and fluffy.

Steps:

• Prepare the Pate a Choux.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make an egg wash by whisking together egg with 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer Pate a Choux to a pastry bag fitted with a 5/8-inch plain tip. Pipe dough into 2-inch rounds about 1 inch apart. Gently smooth the pointed peaks with a moistened finger, rounding tops to ensure even rising. Brush tops with egg wash. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes. The cream puffs should feel light and airy. Remove puffs from oven and transfer sheets to wire racks to cool completely.
• Make the pastry cream: Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean. In a heavy saucepan, combine milk, vanilla bean and seeds, and 1/2 cup sugar. Scald the mixture and immediately remove from heat.
• Beat egg yolks with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until thick. Sprinkle in flour and cornstarch and continue beating until mixed.
• Beat half of the hot milk into yolk mixture. Return this to the remaining hot milk and bring to a boil quickly, whisking very fast to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl to cool. Stir in butter. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill completely. Immediately before using, gently fold in softly whipped cream with a spatula.
• Transfer pastry cream to a piping bag fitted with an 1/8-inch plain tip. Insert the tip into the opening of each pastry, and pipe to fill with pastry cream.
• Make the maple-espresso glaze: In a small bowl, whisk to combine heavy cream, espresso powder, and maple syrup. Add confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth, thinning with additional heavy cream if necessary.
• Dip the top of each cream puff into the maple-espresso glaze; let excess drip off, and place, coated side up, on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate cream puffs in a single layer until glaze is set, about 10 minutes, and serve.

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.
• When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.

Steps:

• Pour milk into heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat and discard bean.
• Using electric mixer, beat yolks and both sugars in large bowl until very thick, about 3 minutes. Add cornstarch; blend well. Gradually whisk half of hot milk into egg mixture. Add mixture to pan; whisk over medium heat until thickened and boiling, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in espresso mixture. Transfer to medium bowl. Place plastic wrap directly onto surface of pastry cream; chill until cold, at least 3 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead; keep chilled.) Whisk pastry cream until smooth before using.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out puff pastry on parchment to 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with sugar to evenly coat. Roll out again so sugar adheres to pastry. Trim to three 11-by-5-inch rectangles. Spray a rimmed baking sheet lightly with water and transfer pastry rectangles to baking sheet; freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. Divide rectangles between two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. Top each with a wire cooling rack and bake until beginning to turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream and espresso powder. Add confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth. If glaze is too thick to pour, add additional cream, 1 teaspoon at a time, until glaze reaches a pourable consistency.
• Assemble Napoleon: place one pastry rectangle on work surface. Top with half of pastry cream, spreading in an even layer. Top with a second pastry rectangle, pressing gently to adhere. Repeat with remaining pastry cream and pastry rectangle, with the flattest surface facing upward. Pour glaze on top and spread evenly using an offset spatula to cover. Fill a small pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip (#1 or #2) with melted chocolate. Pipe lines of chocolate crosswise over the glaze, about 1/2 inch apart. Drag the tip of a wooden skewer down the length of the glazed pastry, in alternating directions, to create a decorative pattern. Refrigerate up to 1 hour before slicing with a serrated knife.

Steps:

• Whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, the egg yolks, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Bring milk, espresso beans if using, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk a little milk mixture into egg yolk mixture; whisking constantly, gradually add remaining milk mixture. Return mixture to pan, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking, until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface. Refrigerate pastry cream until cold, at least 1 hour (up to 3 days); beat until smooth before using.
• Beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Whisk half the whipped cream into pastry cream, then fold in remaining heavy cream. Stir in preserves if using.