Crème pâtissière - French pastry cream

As I announced, here comes the recipe of the second famous cream !

The creme patissiere is considered "cooked", compared to the creme anglaise, it's thicker, creamier.

You can spread it on tarts... it kind of has the same consistency as mayonnaise.

It's also useful in recipe like the gâteau basque, the frangipane, or the chocolate puff (éclair au chocolat) etc. It can be vanilla, lemon, chocolate, coffee.... flavoured 

I will give you the classic vanilla recipe that you can use for a fruit tart for example !

For a big pie, multiply it so you will use 5 or 6 egg yolks. (Twice more than what I've written)

   You will need :   

For 3 egg yolks,

8.5 fl oz. of milk (25cL)

2 tbsp. of cooking starch

3tbsp of sugar

1/2 vanilla pod

Put you milk to boil in a wet casserole with the grated vanilla pod

Work in a bowl the sugar with the eggyolks until white and foamy

Then add the starch in it and mix it well

Verse the boiling milk in that bowl

- after removing the vanilla pod -

Mix a bit and put verything back in the casserole,

let it cook while mixing whith a whisk,

let it 2 minutes while boiling,

medium temperature once it boils

- still mixing it with your whisk -

Never stop mixing 

- Be careful it's not cooking on the inner surface, grate everywhere -

Let it get cooler in a bowl, covered with a plastic film 

or with powdered sugar to avoid a crust

You can spread it on your tart (pre-cooked, shortcrust or cookie dough)

You can keep it 3 to 4 days in the fridge

- on the picture above, it's a vanilla shortcrust dough -

- don't put too much cream ;) -

---------------------

Suggestions

For a chocolate cream, you can add 4oz of chocolate to melt in the milk

For a coffee one, add 1tsp of coffee extract in the milk.

---------------------

Regular cookies, flavoured cookies ready to eat

A lot a lot a lof of little cookies !

Lemon and poppyseed (Poppy!) 

Orange

Nature

- vanilla flavoured -

Chocolate

Marbled

This is today's sweetness, I had in the freezer a half-cookie dough waiting to be used

I've cut it in four and made 4 kind of cookies to go with my crème patissière 

- the recipe will be here soon -

You can see the different flavours right here !

   You will need :   

a cookie dough

- that I gave you already -

a frozen orange

- mise au congelateur -

poppy seeds and a lemon

unsweetened cocoa

Turn on the oven at 300°F

For the poppyseed + lemon flavoured, the easiest way is to add 1 tbsp of poppyseed in the flour, and some lemon juice with the egg.

For the orange flavoured ones, take the frozen orange and once your dough is done, grate the zest on the dough, mix it a bit and flatten the dough, it goes straight in the oven

For the chocolate ones, add the cocoa with the flour

For the marbled one, use the rest of the regular dough and what's left of the cocoa one, fold them together twice and flatten the dough.

Otherwise, you can add everything at the end, once your dough has been reserved in the fridge a bit. 

But you will probably need to add more flour when working the dough, otherwise it will stick on your hands and on the table. (especially the poppyseed-lemon one)

Flatten the dough to reach  3 à 4mm thick (0.1 to 0.15 inch), 

put in the oven on a tray for 13 to 18 minutes, 

depending on your cooking time preferences !

You cant taste them warm, just as they are, or with cream, yogourt, ice cream, a hot drink....

enjoy!

Out of butter already ?!

Oh, sure... that's why they are so good !

Crème anglaise - Light custard

In the basics family, here comes the crème anglaise ! (english cream)

A little sweetness for you, your guests and your desserts
(chocolate, fruits... everything actually) Its vanilla touch goes with everything...
I've put some in my yogurt and fresh berries this morning.... :p

For a correct amount (6 to 8 servings)

It takes around 20 minutes to make

  You will need :   

3 egg yolks

0.4 cup of sugar (3.2 oz. / 90gr)

- I put 1/3 cup of regular and 1 pack of vanilla sugar (12gr) -

10 fl oz. of milk (30cL)

- 2% reduced fat milk -

 2 fl oz. of heavy whipping cream (6cL)

1/2 vanilla bean, opened and grated

- or 2 tsp. vanilla extract -

In a wet casserole,

- so the milk won't stick the inner surface -

Put the milk, the cream and the vanilla bean/extract 

- that you have grated inside the milk of course -

Put it on medium/high temperature, until it boils

In the meantime, put the yolks and the sugar in a medium bowl and beat it until it gets creamy and white

Once the milk/cream is starting to boil, remove the vanilla bean,

 and pour the milk in the egg/sugar bowl, mix it

Once it's homogeneous, put everything back in the casserole on medium temperature

And mix it non-stop for 5 minutes with a wooden spoon

- it must not boil, or stick/cook on the inner surface, that's why it's important to mix it and keep it smooth -

After 5 minutes, it will be a bit thicker,
and you can pour it in a bowl while filtering it
Let it cool down

You can't keep it a long time in the fridge, so enjoy it :)

- on a chocolate cake topped with a raspberrie :) -

Pâte à choux - Cream puff dough

Little puff, a lot of little puffs ! That you can fill of cream, jam, chocolate, ice cream... 

you can make desserts, salted apetizer and many more things ! One of the basic recipes in France.

Here is the main recipe for  more or less twenty little puffs

3,3 fl oz. of milk (10cL)

2 fl oz of water (6cL)

1/4 cup of butter (2oz / 60gr)

1/2 + cup of flour (2.65oz / 75gr) 

3 eggs

a hint of salt

Put in a pan the milk, the water, the butter in pieces and the salt

- for a dessert use, add 1sp. of white sugar, and drops of vanilla  -

Stay close, as soon as the boiling starts,

remove the pan from the heat, and put the flour all at once.

Start mixing with a wooden spoon with energy, 

and put in pack on the heat, at medium/high temperature

The flour must be in really quickly, 

and keep mixing for a few minutes, do not stop, you have to make the dough "work"

When the dough is ready, she will be slightly yellow, and it doesn't stick at all in the pan

You can then put it in a bowl, and add the eggs one by one.

They may seem hard to mix in the dough, but keep mixing after each one, 

you will have a really soft dough.

- This is where the Gougère recipe intervenes -

Turn on the oven at 450°F

On a cooking tray, put some was paper, and make small peaks of a nut size with the dough,

use two teaspoon to do it, space them of ~1.6 inch

Help the sides of the peaks so they stay round, not flat

Put in the oven 5 minutes,

then lower the temperature at 400°F for ten more 10 minutes

Finally, turn the oven off and let it 2/3 opened ten more minutes 

Total : 25 minutes in the oven, just to get prepared for the second row !

- Here they are, ready to be filled or eaten :p -

Pâte feuilletée - Puff dough

Here is another 'basic" cooking recipe. It will allow you many variant and creativity. As you will soon see in a list at the end of the post.

2 cup of flour (8,8oz / 250gr)

- 3/4 cup of flour (100gr) for 1/4 cup of butter (60gr) -

10cL warm water (3,3 fl oz.)

5,3 oz de beurre (150gr)

salt

Mix the flour with the warm water to make a soft dough

Flatten it in a square shape (9.8 inch side)

Put the butter in the center, in another square shape (4 inch side)

Do as shown in the following drawing to fold the dough on the butter

Put it in a plastic film, 10 minutes in the fridge to harden the butter

After taking it out, flour your work space and your rolling pin

Flatten it as shown under, by respecting folding positions

Face up is always smooth

- you did one "tour" (result looks like a wallet) -

Turn it of 90°, do the same

- you did two "tour" -

Put the dough back in the plastic film and back in the fridge for 30 minutes

After those 30 minutes, do the same,

and put it back in the fridge for another 30 minutes

- you did 4 "tour" -

After those 30 minutes, do the same,

and put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes

- you did 6 "tours" -

You can flatten your dough for your final use,

you have successfully realized a pâte feuilletée à 6 tours !

Here is what I've done of mine, les allumettes au fromage of Vovoï, my great grand-mother.

- Once cut, the raw pâte feuilletée lets you see all the layers it's made of ! -

Pâte Sablée - Cookie Dough

I use that dough for cream tarts, chocolate tarts, cookies... I love it just like that with a different flavor every time. It goes perfectly with a tea, coffee, or a cream/ice cream. Hard to stop when you start eating one!

For 400gr of pâte sablée (14oz)

trick - cut it in half to make two flavor !

1 egg

1/2 cup of white sugar (4,4 oz / 125gr)

2 cup of flour (8,8 oz / 250gr )

1/2 cup of butter (4,4 oz /125gr )

a hint of salt (3gr)

In a recipient, put the egg, the salt and the sugar.

With a wooden spoon, mix it until it's white and creamy

Add all the flour and mix it with the spoon until it gets into the dough.

With your fingers, turn the dough into sand by rubbing it smoothly between your fingers.

Once it's sandy, put it aside and take some to push on the butter. With the top of your finger, carefully, add little by littl the sandy dough in the butter. It has to stay firm.

When you're done, take the dough and drop it,

- she is jumpin' ! -

on your floured work table a few times,

to make it perfectly "pétrie" and homogene.

Once it's perfect, you can flatten it so it reaches a thickness of 2 to 4 mm

To make a chocolate dough as I use for the chocolate tart or the following cookies, add unsweetened cacao to the flour (1,4 oz)

Pâte brisée - Shortcrust dough

This dough is the most common one, she is used in many dishes and can be flavoured with herbs or spices just as you like it.

According to me, some oregano and basilic are perfect for a "quiche" or a salted tart.

For a sugar pie/tart you can add cinammon (1tsp), sugar (2tsp), or vanilla (1tsp) for example :)

Here is our family recipe, same as everywhere else

1/2 cup of butter (4,4oz / 125gr)

(salted or unsalted depending on what you want to do)

- out of the fridge 40 minutes before -

a bit less than 2 cup of flour (8,8oz / 250gr)

- add the herbs or spices in it -

(1 stick of butter for 1cup 3/4 flour)

5cL of cool water (1,7 fl oz)

(pour que ça ne colle pas aux doigts)

In a recipient, put the butter and add the flour :

use your thumbs to push the flour in the butter, the dough with become sand by itself.

Once it's homogene (no piece of butter left alone), add the water to thehat sand,

and make your dough drink it, you can hold now it in your hand.

- use some more flour if it's too sticky, or more water if it's too sandy, but it should be the perfect proportions -

It shouldn't take your more than ten minutes, it's ready to use.

If it's still too sticky it's because your butter is too soft,

put it in a plastic film and leave it in the fridge for 20 minutes or so,

it will be easier to flatten it.