Pastry Cream

Instructions

1. 1

   To prepare the pastry cream, first place a glass bowl in the freezer. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and cut the pods into pieces. Pour the milk into a saucepan and flavor it with both the seeds and the vanilla bean pods.

2. 2

   Grate the lemon zest, taking only the yellow part, and add it to the milk. Turn on the heat and warm everything over low heat, bringing it to a boil and stirring occasionally. In another saucepan, combine the egg yolks, sugar, and rice starch. Using a soft whisk, mix to obtain a creamy and smooth consistency, free of lumps.

3. 3

   As soon as the milk reaches boiling point, pour it into the egg yolks in 3 batches, filtering it with a sieve and always stirring with the whisk. Return to the heat and stir constantly, always over low heat, until the cream thickens.

4. 4

   To cool it down quickly, take the bowl out of the freezer and pour the cream into it. Stir with a whisk very quickly, until you have brought the cream to 50°, below the cooking point. You should obtain a smooth and very shiny cream. At this point, the pastry cream is ready: you can use it immediately or store it in the refrigerator, covering it with plastic wrap.