Once upon a time, I was not interested in crème pâtissière (pastry cream). I liked desserts which included this crème, but I had never given any thought to what a good crème should taste like, because I was far more interested in the shell, the crust, the vessel that surrounded it. But as any normal baker/food blogger/pastry addict should realize, one day it dawned on me that if I wanted to make all these amazing sweets with all my beloved crusts, I would have to learn to make the filling as well . . .
This is how my search for the perfect crème pâtissière began. And until I started the search, I didn't realize how picky I was. (Some pastry addict I am.) It seems, the pâtisserie I frequent (and sells the best choux à la crème in my opinion) uses the best classic crème pâtissière (again, in my opinion), so that was what I was looking for. And anything other than that tasted . . . well, wrong. So bracing myself for the journey, I dived head first into a sea of eggs, milk, and vanilla beans, and after quite a few egg cartons later, miraculously came up for air with the winner.
And trust me, one of the things that every pastry addict (or baker. or food blogger.) should have is a perfect crème pâtissière recipe. And even if you are none of the above, it's still good to have one, because you never know when you might want to seduce someone with a perfect chou à la crème. (Is there a better way to seduce someone than with a good sweet?)
This crème pâtissière (which is adapted from The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo) is a very classic version, and once you learn how easy it is to make, you'll want to try more than just choux à la crème; strawberry millefeuilles, strawberry tartlets, strawberry trifles . . . (I'm thinking spring is a lovely time for crème pâtissière) the possibilities are endless. Just make sure that you make enough because I tend to run out, especially when I'm making choux à la crème.
* { crème pâtissière adapted from : the little paris kitchen classic french recipes with a fresh and simple approach by rachel khoo }
— continue reading for the recipe for choux à la crème
