Mocha Pastry Cream for Eclairs and Napoleons
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 20, 2009
Yield
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
1 ½ cups half-and-half 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder 5 tablespoons sugar plus 1 teaspoonPinch salt 3 egg yolks 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 2 pieces½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Before You Begin
Don't whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the half-and-half is already heating. Straining the finished pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve ensures a perfectly silky texture.
Instructions
- Heat the half-and-half, 4 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Whisk the instant espresso powder into the heated half-and-half mixture.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
- When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Yield
Makes about 2 cupsIngredients
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
5 tablespoons sugar plus 1 teaspoon
Pinch salt
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 2 pieces
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
5 tablespoons sugar plus 1 teaspoon
Pinch salt
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 2 pieces
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
5 tablespoons sugar plus 1 teaspoon
Pinch salt
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 2 pieces
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For our Napoleons recipe, we worked on a scaled-down version of our Quick Puff Pastry recipe. Then we figured out how to achieve level puff pastry layers for our Napoleons recipe, so they could be spread with pastry cream and stacked. We found that rolling the dough into an even layer, poking holes in it with a fork, and baking it topped with foil and pie weights worked best.
Before You Begin
Don't whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the half-and-half is already heating. Straining the finished pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve ensures a perfectly silky texture.
Instructions
- Heat the half-and-half, 4 tablespoons of the sugar, and the salt in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until simmering, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Whisk the instant espresso powder into the heated half-and-half mixture.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar and whisk until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture is creamy, about 15 seconds. Whisk in the cornstarch until combined and the mixture is pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.
- When the half-and-half mixture reaches a full simmer, gradually whisk the simmering half-and-half into the yolk mixture to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula; return to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a few bubbles burst on the surface and the mixture is thickened and glossy, about 30 seconds. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
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