Nutmeg cream

Directions

1. Crush the vanilla pod along its length. ≈ 4 min
2. Use the tip of a knife to scratch the seeds. ≈ 3 min
3. In a pot, add the milk, half of the sugar, the vanilla pod, and the seeds. ≈ 3 min
4. Remove the milk until it begins to boil, while keeping the egg yolks separate from the whites. ⏱ ≈ 10 min
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining half of the sugar until you have a pale yellow mixture. ≈ 4 min
6. Then, add the cornstarch. ≈ 3 min
7. Once the milk starts to boil, remove it from the heat and strain it to remove the vanilla pod. ⏱ ≈ 10 min
8. Gradually add the warm milk to the egg yolks, while constantly stirring. ≈ 3 min
9. It’s important to do this gradually, as adding all the milk at once could cause it to curdle. ≈ 3 min
10. Next, strain the mixture through a sieve and heat it gently over low heat, stirring constantly. ⏱ ≈ 40 min
11. Once the foam has disappeared, the pastry cream will begin to thicken. ⏱ ≈ 10 min
12. Continue cooking until it thickens. ⏱ ≈ 10 min
13. It is necessary to achieve a fairly thick consistency. ≈ 3 min
14. Remove from the heat and transfer the pastry cream to a bowl. ≈ 3 min
15. Cover with a plastic film suitable for high-temperature use, or grease with butter. ≈ 4 min
16. This helps to prevent the formation of a skin on top of the cream as it cools. ⏱ ≈ 20 min
17. Take the butter out of the refrigerator so that it reaches a consistency similar to that of a paste, while the cream is cooling. ⏱ ≈ 2 hr
18. Once the pastry cream has cooled, whisk it vigorously, then gradually incorporate the butter, in several additions. ⏱ ≈ 20 min
19. It is best to use an electric hand mixer for this step, as it will easily incorporate air into the cream. ≈ 3 min