Best 5 Lemon Pastry Cream Recipes

LEMON PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Whisk together 1 cup heavy cream, egg yolks, and cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside.
• Combine remaining 2 cups heavy cream, sugar, and lemon juice in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to dissolve sugar. Bring to a gentle boil; boil until mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Add egg yolk mixture slowly, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Mixture will break; pour into a glass bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture to prevent skin forming. Let cool completely at room temperature.
• Pour cooled mixture into a mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer fitted with a wire whip until thick and creamy.

LEMON PASTRY CREAM RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, set up an ice bath by partially filling it with a combination of cold water and ice. Set aside.
• In a medium heatproof mixing bowl set on top of a dampened towel (this serves as a stable base), stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks until mixture is pale yellow, smooth, and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• In a 2-quart stainless steel saucier, combine milk and lemon zest. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat.
• Remove milk from heat. While whisking continuously, slowly pour milk into egg yolk mixture in a thin stream until all of it has been added.
• Return the mixture to the same saucier. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until pastry cream begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Once it thickens, continue to whisk, pausing every few seconds to check for bubbles, about 1 minute. When it begins to bubble, set a timer and continue whisking for 1 minute. This step is important to neutralize starch-dissolving protein found in egg yolks.
• Off-heat, whisk in butter until melted and thoroughly combined. Strain pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium heatproof bowl. Immediately place plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper directly on the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer bowl to prepared ice bath to chill for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• When you are ready to use the pastry cream, add lemon juice and whisk until smooth.

LEMON PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a small saucepan, warm the milk and lemon zest over low heat until it is just hot enough to steam.
• While the milk is warming, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and cornstarch until the mixture is completely smooth.
• Once the milk is steaming, add half of it, whisking constantly, to the egg mixture.
• Add the milk and eggs back into the hot milk, continue stirring, and heat it for 1-2 minutes, until the custard reaches 170 F on a digital thermometer and is very thick.
• Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and lemon liquor (or extract), and chill before filling the pastry.
• Serve and enjoy!

STRAWBERRY AND RASPBERRY TART WITH MEYER LEMON PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Grate the butter on a box grater and add to the bowl of a food processor with the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt. Pulse to combine until the mixture resembles Parmesan cheese. Add the egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of ice water. Pulse to combine until the dough comes together and holds its shape when pressed between your fingers. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Gently knead a few times and bring the dough together into a ball, then flatten into a disc. Roll the dough out evenly into a 1/4-inch-thick circle. Transfer the dough onto a sheet tray and cover with plastic wrap. Place into the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and roll evenly in all directions, making sure it doesn't stick to your work surface and dusting with flour as needed. The dough should be about 1/8-inch thick. Slice the dough in half and transfer to two nonstick 6-inch fluted tart pans with removable bottoms. Press the dough snuggly into the edges ensuring the dough runs fully up the side. Use a rolling pin to trim the excess dough. Line each tart with a piece of foil and fill with baking beans (or I use rice!), making sure the foil is tightly packed to the corners. Transfer the dough to the oven to blind bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the pan, then bake for another 6 minutes. Remove the foil and baking beans and place the tart back into the oven until lightly golden, another 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Set up an ice bath. Add the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of the heavy cream to a small bowl. Mix to create a slurry and set aside. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and the 4 whole eggs to a large bowl and beat with a whisk until pale yellow and foamy. Add the remaining 2 cups heavy cream, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the vanilla extract and lemon peel to a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then pour half of the mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sugar and immediately whisk vigorously to combine and temper the mixture. Pour the contents of the bowl into the saucepan and continue to whisk. Add the cornstarch slurry and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to whisk until the mixture begins to thicken and it reaches the texture of pudding, 3 to 4 minutes. You want to continuously whisk to avoid scorching the mixture. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Set the bowl over the ice bath to cool.
• Place the apricot preserves and a splash of water into a small saute pan. Turn the heat to medium and stir to gently melt the preserves, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• To assemble the tart, spoon an even layer of the lemon pastry cream into each tart shell, but not fully to the top. Line the outside of the tart with raspberries and working inward, arrange the inside of the tart with the sliced strawberries. Repeat this process alternating with more raspberries and strawberries. Glaze the top of each tart with the apricot mixture.
• Serve the tarts with a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy!

LEMON-THYME PASTRY CREAM

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, thyme, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 15 minutes.
• Prepare an ice bath. In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to egg mixture; whisk until well combined.
• Strain the warm milk mixture; discard solids. Return milk to saucepan; bring to a boil. Slowly pour into egg-cornstarch mixture, whisking constantly.
• Transfer new mixture to saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and transfer mixture to a large heat-proof bowl.
• Whisk in butter; set bowl in ice bath, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Lay plastic directly on surface of pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming; chill until ready to use.