This pumpkin pastry cream recipe, a truly delicious replica of spiced pumpkin pie custard, can be used in profiteroles, Napoleons, éclairs, tarts, and Génoise cake. The use of crème patisserie is limited only by your imagination; grace a simple or an elaborate French dessert recipe with it. The results will be equally delicious.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: Fills 1 standard pastry recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch grated nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation:
In a small saucepan, warm the milk over low heat until it is just hot enough to steam. While the milk is warming, whisk together the egg yolks, pumpkin, sugar, flour, spices, and cornstarch until the mixture is completely smooth.
Once the milk is steaming, add half of it, whisking constantly, to the pumpkin mixture. Add the milk and pumpkin back into the hot milk, continue stirring, and heat it for 1-2 minutes, until the custard reaches 170F on a digital thermometer and is very thick. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and chill the pumpkin pastry cream before using it.
This pumpkin pastry cream recipe makes enough pastry cream to fill 1 standard pastry or cake recipe.
