Red Velvet is a subscription service in New York City that breaks down any resistance to home baking, by delivering kits that contain everything you need to bake the featured dessert.
There’s no need to measure anything; just stir to mix.
We took inspiration from their photos (#1 and #2) to make a lovely strawberry “flower” tart , a happy pairing of strawberries and crème pâtissière.
It’s a spot-on dessert for Valentine’s Day, or any other festive occasion.
WHAT IS CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE?
Crème pâtissière (CREHM pah-tis-YAIR) is called pastry cream in the U.S. and confectioner’s custard in the U.K. It’s a stirred custard—egg yolks and sugar blended with milk and/or cream. It’s thickened with cornstarch or flour and typically flavored with vanilla, although other flavors can be used (citrus, cocoa and coffee are popular).
It’s used to fill éclairs, napoleons, and other pastries; as the base for tarts and flans; and to fill cakes, including génoise (sponge cakes).
With the addition of beaten egg whites, it becomes crème Saint-Honoré, a filling for cream puffs. It’s added to buttercream to make mousseline filling for other cakes and pastries.
Crème pâtissière is the same basic recipe as crème anglaise, but the addition of the starch gives it the stability to be brought to a boil. Crème anglaise is used in sauce form.
THE HISTORY OF CUSTARD
Custard as we know it dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was used as a filling for a flan or a tart. The word custard is derived from “crustade,” a tart with a crust.
After the 16th century, fruit creams became popular and it was about this time that custards began to be made in individual dishes or bowls rather than as fillings for a crust.
Set custards were more difficult to make than custard sauces. A cook couldn’t effectively use a water bath in the fireplace, plus it was difficult to check the “doneness” of the custards over the old open fires.
By the 17th century, set custards had become popular thanks to ovens, which enabled delicate baking, including crème brûlée: custard topped with burnt sugar (the earliest recipe known is French, from 1692 [source].
Today custard is used to fill tarts, Danish pastry, flans, cream puffs and éclairs; it is mixed into trifles and otherwise part of other sweet and savory delights.
Take a look at the different types of custard.
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY TART WITH CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE
|