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Italian pastry cream

Italian Pastry Cream Recipe (Crema Pasticcera)

Silvana Nava
Italian pastry cream is made with milk, egg, and flour that are cooked together to create a rich and thick custard-like cream, flavoured with vanilla or lemon zest.
It's one of the basic ingredients used in many Italian desserts and cakes. It's the creamy filling of many desserts or the base of tarts and layer cakes. This cream is also the filling you find in Italian pastry like the "cornetti" (Italian croissants) or "bomboloni" (Italian doughnuts).
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 250 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 egg yolks - medium
  • 80 g granulated sugar - ~⅓ cup
  • 40 g flour - ⅓ cup
  • 500 ml milk - 2 cups, whole and fresh
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla bean - or ½ lemon zest

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan mix the egg yolks with the sugar, using a wooden spoon.
  • Then add the sifted flour a little bit at a time.
  • Keep stirring for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is blended. Then set aside.
  • Now pour the milk into a saucepan and flavor it with vanilla or grated lemon zest, depending on your taste. Then put it on the stove and bring it to a boil. When the milk is boiling, remove it from the heat and start pouring slowly, a little at a time into the mixture of sugar, eggs and flour. It's very important to stir constantly.
  • Put the saucepan back on very low heat and continue stirring. 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 unpleasant hints of cooked egg. If you have a cooking thermometer you can check that the temperature never exceeds 85°C (185 F).
  • When the cream is well thickened, immediately pour it into a cold container. It's very important to remove immediately the cream from the hot saucepan to prevent it from cooking longer.

Nutrition

Serving: 100gCalories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 8gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 210mgSodium: 58mgPotassium: 224mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 468IUCalcium: 183mgIron: 1mg
Keyword crema pasticcera recipe, Italian custard, Italian pastry cream
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