Silky Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream (Printable)
Crisp buttery crust meets smooth vanilla bean pastry cream in this elegant French-inspired dessert.
# What You'll Need:
→ Tart Crust
01 - 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
03 - 1/4 cup powdered sugar
04 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 1 large egg yolk
06 - 2 tablespoons ice water, as needed
→ Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream
07 - 2 cups whole milk
08 - 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
09 - 4 large egg yolks
10 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
11 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
12 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
13 - Pinch of salt
→ Assembly
14 - Fresh berries or fruit, optional for topping
15 - Powdered sugar, optional for dusting
# How To Make It:
01 - Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg yolk and pulse again. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until dough comes together. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour.
02 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
03 - On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to fit a 9-inch tart pan. Press into pan and trim excess. Prick base with fork. Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake for another 8-10 minutes until golden. Let cool completely.
04 - Heat milk and vanilla bean (seeds and pod) in medium saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Remove pod.
05 - Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl until pale and smooth.
06 - Slowly pour hot milk into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbling, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until smooth.
07 - Transfer pastry cream to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly on surface, and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.
08 - Spread chilled pastry cream evenly into cooled tart shell. Top with fresh berries or fruit if desired. Dust with powdered sugar before serving if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The contrast between the shatteringly crisp crust and silk smooth filling is absolutely worth every minute of effort
- Real vanilla bean creates this fragrant complexity that extract just cannot replicate
02 -
- The most common mistake is overbaking the crust, so start checking at the 8 minute mark after removing the weights
- Pastry cream must reach a full boil for the cornstarch to properly thicken, but keep whisking or it will scorch on the bottom
03 -
- If you cannot find vanilla beans, vanilla bean paste is actually an excellent substitute that still gives you those beautiful flecks
- Brush the cooled crust with melted white chocolate before filling to create a moisture barrier that keeps everything crisp for hours