Who knew pastry cream tasted so good and was so easy to make. Well, I know it now. I'm building my way to making a berry tart and after the tart shell, next up is a luscious pastry cream that acts as the filling.
Contrary to what you might think (or what I thought anyway), there is no cream in pastry cream or what the French call "creme patissiere". It is rich and creamy, custard-like, in texture but made with milk and egg yolks and thickened with flour. I think one of the most common use for pastry cream is as the filling for a fruit tart. Additionally, it could be used as a filling for eclairs, cream puffs or profiteroles, and as part of a napoleon dessert. I also learned recently that pastry cream is also often used as a base for different types of souffles.
