The foundational cream of French patisserie: a thick, vanilla-scented custard made from milk, egg yolks, sugar, and starch — flour or cornstarch — used to fill tarts, eclairs, choux pastries, and cakes. The starch distinguishes it from creme anglaise and lets it hold its shape once cool.
Creme patissiere — pastry cream — is a foundational component of French patisserie. The technique of thickening a milk-and-egg custard with starch, rather than relying on egg proteins alone as in creme anglaise, gives a cream that holds its shape when cool and will not weep; this is what makes it suitable as a filling for tarts, eclairs, choux pastries, and layered cakes. The technique is documented in French culinary texts reaching back to the nineteenth century and is a standard of the patissier's repertoire; the vanilla bean is the classic flavoring, though coffee, chocolate, pistachio, and other variations are common.
A spoonful of creme patissiere is thick, glossy, and smooth, with the clean flavor of vanilla and a rich, eggy mouthfeel from the yolks and the butter. The texture is set but still spoonable — firmer than a pouring custard, lighter than a buttercream — and it holds a piped shape. Eaten cold as a filling, it provides the soft, fragrant layer inside a fruit tart or an eclair.
Creme patissiere is a starch-thickened custard. Milk is warmed with a vanilla bean; separately, egg yolks are whisked with sugar and starch — flour or cornstarch. The hot milk is tempered into the yolk mixture, then the whole is returned to the heat and cooked, stirring constantly, until the starch gelatinizes and the mixture thickens — typically to a boil, which both fully activates the starch and ensures the egg yolks are cooked safe. The gelatinized starch granules swell and trap water, giving the cream its thick, stable texture; the egg yolks contribute richness, color, and a custardy flavor. Off the heat, butter is often beaten in for gloss and richness. The starch is what distinguishes creme patissiere from creme anglaise: it allows the cream to be boiled without curdling, to hold its shape when cool, and to withstand freezing and thawing.
Variations
Flavored with vanilla, chocolate, coffee, pistachio, or fruit puree; the starch-thickened custard base and the use as a filling are the constants.
On the Palate
Where Creme Patissiere sits in the French flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
6 steps · 15 min
- 15 min
Warm milk with a split vanilla bean.
- 25 min
Whisk egg yolks with sugar and starch until pale.
- 35 min
Temper the hot milk into the yolk mixture gradually.
Watch outTemper the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream, whisking — pour it in fast and the yolks scramble into lumps instead of a smooth custard.
- 48 min
Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens.
Watch outCook stirring constantly until it boils and thickens — the boil is what fully sets the starch; stop short of it and the cream stays runny and tastes of raw flour.
- 53 min
Off the heat, beat in butter for gloss and richness.
- 65 min
Cover surface with plastic wrap and chill until needed.
