>> Split the vanilla bean lengthwise in half and scrape the seeds out with a paring knife >> Read this recipe through twice from start to finish UNDERSTANDING INGREDIENTS There is no point in using anything other than whole milk for pastry cream Low-fat or skim milk will make the cream soupy because of the lack of fat and proteins Cornstarch and cake flour are used to bind and stabilize the custard and give it a pudding-like consistency I use half cornstarch and half cake flour (some other pastry chefs use just one or the other) Using all cornstarch would give the pastry cream the glossy consistency of a cheap, fast-food Chinese sauce; using all flour would result in a pastry cream that is rubbery, because of the gluten in the flour, even though cake flour has the lowest amount of gluten of any white flour (between 7 and 9 percent) The lecithin in the egg yolk binds the liquid and the fat so that the mixture thickens and remains moist; that is why egg yolk is often used to bind sauces Butter gives the pastry cream a rich flavor I add my butter to the milk when I heat it You could also add butter to the mixture at the end of the cooking to make it creamier INGREDIENTS | WEIGHT | MEASURE (APPROXIMATE) OR OUNCE ... lowest amount of gluten of any white flour (between 7 and 9 percent) The lecithin in the egg yolk binds the liquid and the fat so that the mixture thickens and remains moist; that is why egg yolk is often used to bind... stabilize the custard and give it a pudding-like consistency I use half cornstarch and half cake flour (some other pastry chefs use just one or the other) Using all cornstarch would give the pastry cream the glossy... pastry cream the glossy consistency of a cheap, fast-food Chinese sauce; using all flour would result in a pastry cream that is rubbery, because of the gluten in the flour, even though cake flour has the