Cream.
I'm not sure there is a nicer word in the English language. Other cultures love the same word. Creme, rahm, crema, kerma, smietana, krem. Its the same lovely stuff the world over.
Most modern cooks and bakers are exceedingly familiar with Jell-o pudding products. Many of us grew up eating the ubiquitous canned pudding that is now marketed in a little plastic tub. Truth be told, I love chocolate Jell-o pudding. The vanilla variety is good too, but since I know what the real vanilla pudding tastes like, the Jell-o version pales in comparison.
In Culinary School, one of the first skills we learn is how to make pastry cream. Pastry cream is a thick custard made on the stovetop and flavored with vanilla. Fortunately for our modern waistlines, pastry cream can easily be made with milk. Pastry cream is the darling of the bakeshop and can be used in many different ways. Eclairs and cream puffs can be filled with the custard, fruit tarts can be lined with it before the fruit is placed on top. Pastry cream can fill layers of cake and be mixed with whipped cream to be piped into crystal dessert glasses. It can also fill pie shells to make a delicious variety of cream pies. Coconut, banana, Boston, strawberry, raspberry and blueberry...the possibilities are limited only by the imagination of the Baker!
Its a cold, slushy day today. The boys are all up at the farm shoveling snow and trying to clear the long driveway that leads to the barn. I thought I'd make them all a nice Vanilla Cream Pie to help them replenish the calories they're burning. Its like that in our family. I tend to think of the dessert before I even plan the meal...
Winter'Rest Farm Vanilla Cream Pie
Pastry crust
1 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
2 sticks of butter sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice water
Place the ingredients into a food processor and process until the mixture looks roughly like corn meal. Add the water and process again, until it spins itself into a ball. Remove to plastic wrap, shape into a disk and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. This can be frozen for a month or so easily.
Roll out the dough and place it in the pie dish of your choice. (You can place your dish on top of the flat dough to see if you've rolled enough to fit the dish.) Once the dough is in the dish, roll the edges inward and finish in your favorite decoration...I like to pinch flutes into my pie edges. Crinkle some parchment paper and lay it into the bottom of the pie dough. Fill with dried beans, rice or commercial pie weights. If you don't have parchment paper you can use tin foil sprayed with pan spray, or even brown paper sacking. This is called "blind baking". Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, remove the paper and weights by gathering the tips, and return to the oven to finish baking for approximately 5-10 minutes. (This will vary depending on your oven; you may need to leave it in longer.) Remove to cool.
1 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
2 sticks of butter sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice water
Place the ingredients into a food processor and process until the mixture looks roughly like corn meal. Add the water and process again, until it spins itself into a ball. Remove to plastic wrap, shape into a disk and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. This can be frozen for a month or so easily.
Roll out the dough and place it in the pie dish of your choice. (You can place your dish on top of the flat dough to see if you've rolled enough to fit the dish.) Once the dough is in the dish, roll the edges inward and finish in your favorite decoration...I like to pinch flutes into my pie edges. Crinkle some parchment paper and lay it into the bottom of the pie dough. Fill with dried beans, rice or commercial pie weights. If you don't have parchment paper you can use tin foil sprayed with pan spray, or even brown paper sacking. This is called "blind baking". Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, remove the paper and weights by gathering the tips, and return to the oven to finish baking for approximately 5-10 minutes. (This will vary depending on your oven; you may need to leave it in longer.) Remove to cool.
Filling
2 cups milk or cream
1/4 cup white sugar
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 TBSP butter
2 tsp vanilla
Heat the milk and sugar on the stove to a simmer. (You can also do this step in the microwave) While it is heating, prepare a medium sized bowl with a sieve. Whisk the eggs, sugar and corn starch. When the milk/sugar is simmering, drizzle it slowly into the egg mixture and whisk at the same time. This is called "tempering" and prevents the eggs from cooking into a scrambled mess by heating up too quickly. Once the first cup of hot milk has been slowly whisked in, it is safe to add the remainder of the hot milk.
Return the egg and milk mixture to the pot and cook on medium until it thickens. It will be loose, but will tighten as it cools. Strain it through the prepared sieve. Add the TBSP of butter and the vanilla. Stir gently. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard (this is called "kissing the surface"), and place in the refrigerator to cool.
2 cups milk or cream
1/4 cup white sugar
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 TBSP butter
2 tsp vanilla
Heat the milk and sugar on the stove to a simmer. (You can also do this step in the microwave) While it is heating, prepare a medium sized bowl with a sieve. Whisk the eggs, sugar and corn starch. When the milk/sugar is simmering, drizzle it slowly into the egg mixture and whisk at the same time. This is called "tempering" and prevents the eggs from cooking into a scrambled mess by heating up too quickly. Once the first cup of hot milk has been slowly whisked in, it is safe to add the remainder of the hot milk.
Return the egg and milk mixture to the pot and cook on medium until it thickens. It will be loose, but will tighten as it cools. Strain it through the prepared sieve. Add the TBSP of butter and the vanilla. Stir gently. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard (this is called "kissing the surface"), and place in the refrigerator to cool.
Once the filling and crust are cool, pour the filling into the crust and smooth. It can be topped with whipped cream, berries or chocolate, depending on your mood or need. I topped mine today with last year's blueberry jam. The most wonderful thing, however, is that this rich and satisfying dessert can be created out of widely available and humble ingredients. The custard can be eaten alone too! Experiment and make it your own!