During recent travels through Spain and France, I noticed a common, delicious detail among the many pastries I sampled: the subtle use of vanilla bean pastry cream. Also known as creme patissiere, it is used as a flavor and texture enhancement for a lot of viennoiseries, baked goods like croissants, pain suisse and Danishes, made from yeast-leavened dough that is often laminated.
I could write a lengthy column about why I believe France and other European countries receive such praise for their food culture, but one main attribute is “everything in moderation.” Portions may be smaller compared to the U.S., but the food is made with such high-quality ingredients that the goodness just goes farther. In the case of creme patissiere, you only need a little spoonful to experience its satiating decadence and how its creamy smoothness accentuates the other luxurious textures and flavors in the pastry.
Imagine what you can do with a jarful of vanilla pastry tucked away in your own fridge. It goes perfectly smeared over that beautiful flaky dough you just baked into the perfect strawberries and cream galette. Imagine a spoonful of pastry cream baked right into an imprinted brioche bun topped with raspberry jam and coconut flakes. Or a drizzle of cold patissiere over fresh, juicy grilled peach slices for a perfect al fresco summer desert.
Pastry cream gets a bad rap for being difficult; take it off the heat too soon, and you have eggy milk. Take it off the heat too late, and you essentially have a chunky pudding and risk curdling the egg and losing all your careful work. It can be a frustrating endeavor, but with a little patience and diligence creme, patisserie can become the home baker’s greatest dessert pleasure.
Sarah Dodge is an Atlanta-based bread baker, pastry chef and baking instructor. She is the owner of Bread is Good, which offers bread subscriptions to the general public and wholesale baked goods to local markets and restaurants.
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