Blending pastry cream right after cooking: does it change final consistency?
I prepared some pastry cream to use as pie filling. Right after it had been cooked, and while still hot, I passed it through a sieve onto a bowl with chopped white chocolate. As I tried to fold the chocolate onto the pastry cream, it would not melt properly, and pieces of it would remain in the cream even while I mixed. I think next time I'll try and pre-melt the chocolate, at least partially, before incorporating.
Either way, and this was not part of the recipe, I decided to use the immersion blender to smooth out the cream and incorporate the stubborn white chocolate bits. It worked for incorporating the chocolate, but I fear it may have worked too well for smoothing out the cream, and it became fairly liquid as it was blended. It did become a little firmer as it cooled (to be expected, if only from the chocolate), but not enough so to be a satisfying pie filling.
Does blending hot pastry cream, after it's gelled, alter its final consistency?
Or is the result of my 'not firm enough' cream due to ratios in the recipe?
For record, the ingredients used were (converted from ounces):
227g Light brown sugar
43g Cornstarch
142g Egg yolk
794g Whole milk
125g White chocolate
9g Vanilla essence
57g Malted milk powder
Trace amounts of salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Best Answer
Yes. Yes it does. Unfortunately, I did something similar once, and it basically gave my pastry cream the consistency of creme anglaise. It made a delicious ice cream base, but failed as a cream puff filling.
My best explanation is that the blender destroyed the protein structure of the partially cooked egg, but my attempts to look into it in the past haven't been successful. However I also know that an immersion blender cannot be used to whip egg whites, and in fact makes it much harder to do so. (They did whip somewhat, but still had a kind of slimy texture.)
Having said that, it's hard to comment on your recipe ratios when they aren't included, but the use of a blender definitely changes the texture of cooked custard/pastry cream and makes it much thinner.
If something like this happens again, keep a pan of warm water in reserve. Chocolate will melt at far lower temperatures than would damage your cream. Just place the bowl of cream and stubborn chocolate back over the low heat and stir until melted.
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How long does it take pastry cream to thicken?
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until pastry cream begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Once it thickens, continue to whisk, pausing every few seconds to check for bubbles, about 1 minute.What do I do if my creme patissiere is too runny?
The cream is too liquid: in a separate bowl, mix a little bit of cornstarch (start with 1 tablespoon, it is usually enough) with a splash of milk then add it to the cream away from the heat. Whisk really well to combine, then place back on the stove and keep whisking until the cream thickens. Repeat if needed.What happens when you overcook pastry cream?
Pastry cream is an anomaly among custards. Although overheating a typical custard can lead to curdling, it's vital to bring pastry cream almost to a boil. Doing so sets the eggs and activates the starch, thereby ensuring a proper consistency.What consistency should creme patissiere?
You can decide to substitute both the flour and the egg with corn starch. However, the texture of the creme pat will be different. It's still a custard, and it's still thick though, so feel free to experiment!Pastry cream Diplomat How to Make // Pastry cream for Cake
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