Crème pâtissière (aka pastry cream, custard, creme pat) (2024)

FAQs

Is creme pat the same as pudding? ›

Pastry cream, also called crème pâtissière, is a versatile component in a baker's toolbox. Cooked on the stovetop, it's a custard akin to pudding, with a rich taste and a creamy texture that's thick enough to hold its shape.

What's the difference between crème anglaise and crème pâtissière? Crème anglaise has a similar composition to crème pâtissière, but doesn't contain cornstarch or flour. It's therefore more liquid and less thick. It's possible to turn a crème anglaise into a crème pâtissière.

P.S. In case you're wondering what the difference is between Crème Pâtissière and custard (which the French refer to as Crème Anglaise), it's the cornflour. Officially, custard shouldn't contain cornflour. So basically, Crème Pâtissière (or pastry cream) is simply set custard.

Crème pâtissière, also knows as pastry cream, is a thick, rich, creamy custard made by cooking together milk, eggs (or more typically egg yolks), sugar, starch (typically cornstarch) and flavourings.

Custard is a thing in the U.S. but we usually associate the word custard with a thick pudding rather than custard sauce.

American puddings are closer to what the Brits would call “custard.” A British pudding is a dish, savory or sweet, that's cooked by being boiled or steamed in something: a dish, a piece of cloth, or even animal intestine.

These are the key differences: Crème Chantilly (Chantilly Cream) is pretty much whipped cream but with some added sweetness. It's beautifully light and airy and perfect to compliment desserts like chocolate fondants and soufflés. Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream) is a much more decadent cream.

*Ironically, the term “crème anglaise” translates as “English cream,” not because the French believed that the custard was an English invention but because they perceived it as characteristic of the English.

Because it holds its shape well, crème pâtissière is ideal as a pastry filling. It's suitable for eclairs, fruit custard tarts, cream puffs, and Boston cream pie. Bavarian cream, on the other hand, can be a stand-alone dessert.

There are three types of custard: baked, stirred, and frozen. Baked custards include bread pudding, flan, and cheesecake, and are prepared by baking in an oven or water bath. Boiled Custards include beverages like eggnog. Puddings, creme anglaise (krem on-GLAYZ), and pastry cream are some examples of stirred custards.

What to use instead of crème pâtissière? ›

Lomas's recipe calls for just four ingredients: cream cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. These ingredients may not scream “crème patissiere,” but when beaten together the result is pleasantly similar to the pastry cream you'd make on the stove.

Once you have transferred the cooked creme patissiere to a bowl, press a damp piece of greaseproof paper, baking parchment or parchment paper on to the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let the creme patissiere cool slightly then wrap the bowl tightly with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and transfer to the fridge.

Runny pastry cream most often comes from undercooking the egg yolk mixture. If you remove it from the heat too soon, the amylase in the egg yolks won't break down and will prevent the cream from fully setting. If you find your crème pâtissière is too thin, return to heat and bring to a boil over medium heat to thicken.

There are two main, easy to remember differences between crème anglaise and pastry cream: starch and boiling. The methodology and most of the ingredients are the same, except pastry cream incorporates flour or cornstarch and therefore needs to be boiled. This results in a much, much thicker custard.

Mousse is made by folding beaten egg whites or whipped cream into a cold milk and sugar base. Unlike pudding, mousse is not cooked and the addition of air to the mixture leads to a fluffier consistency and lighter texture. Mousse is typically served chilled or frozen.

While most custard and pudding recipes both typically call for eggs, the main difference is that pudding uses a starch for thickening, whereas custard's thickening agent is the egg itself (or egg yolk, in most instances). Custard's texture also tends to be firmer than pudding.

At its most basic, crème brûlée is a creamy, pudding-like, baked custard with a brittle top of melted sugar that cracks when you gently tap it with a spoon. The custard is made with heavy cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

In the United States, pudding means a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, instant custards or a mousse, often commercially set using cornstarch, gelatin or similar coagulating agent such as Jell-O.