Italian Lemon Pastry Cream

 Lemon pastry cream 

Sunshine Silk: Your Foolproof Lemon Pastry Cream

Come along with me to the Italian coast, where we will be whipping up a batch of Italian Lemony Sunshine Silk, a lemon pastry cream so vibrant and velvety, it'll be the star of all your sweet creations. This isn't just a cream; it's a burst of sunshine captured in a smooth, luscious embrace, ready to elevate everything from tarts to trifles.

I fell in love with everything Italian. I’ve been told by my Grandmother that I have Italian blood from somewhere in my family, so I ran with it all the way to the Italian coast. I visited Positano, Amalfi, and Capri, along with Venice, Ravello, Naples, Tuscany and Rome. 

I was entranced by the mystique and romance of it all. Especially the food! I brought home so many beautiful hand painted, one of a kind dishes from the many street vendors selling antique's. 

I ate everything from everywhere and it inspired me to create some Italian magic in my own kitchen. This Italian Lemon Pastry cream was in so many desserts at many of the food stalls, shops and restaurants.

So many desserts, like puddings, cookies, Tiramisu, and cakes had this delicious Pastry Cream incorporated.

Once you taste the sweet yet tart flavor, you’ll understand why Italy has my heart. 

What You'll Need (The Golden Ratio):

• Sweetness: 4 ounces (about ½ cup) granulated sugar
• The Thickener: 1 ¼ ounces (a generous 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) cornstarch
• A Pinch of Balance: A whisper of salt (⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher, half that for table salt)
• The Richness: The yolks from 5 happy, fridge-fresh large eggs
• The Milky Embrace: 2 cups whole milk
• Zest of Pure Light: The fragrant zest of 2 large lemons (about 1 tablespoon)
• Silky Finish: 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
• A Zing of Brightness: 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 of the zested lemons

Let's Make Sunshine Silk!

1. Chill Out Zone: Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl – cold water and plenty of ice. Set aside, your cream's future cool-down spot.
2. The Golden Blend: In a medium, heatproof bowl (stabilized with a damp towel underneath!), whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Introduce the egg yolks and whisk with gusto until the mixture transforms into a pale yellow, smooth, and happily fluffy cloud (about a minute).
3. Milky Infusion: In a separate saucepan (about 2-quart size works perfectly), combine the milk and that glorious lemon zest. Bring this to a gentle simmer over medium heat – just a few tiny bubbles around the edges.
4. Tempering the Gold: Take the milky goodness off the heat. Now, whisking like you mean it, slowly drizzle that warm milk into your egg yolk mixture in a thin, steady stream until every last drop is incorporated.
5. The Transformation: Pour this newfound liquid back into the same saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly (arm workout alert!), until the cream starts to thicken (around 2 minutes). Once it thickens, keep whisking, pausing briefly to check for bubbles (another minute or so). When you see those first bubbles, set a timer for 1 minute and keep that whisk moving! This crucial step ensures our cream is silky smooth.
6. Silky Smooth Finish: Take the pan off the heat and whisk in those cold butter cubes until they melt into the cream, making it gloriously smooth.
7. Strain for Perfection: Pour your beautiful pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean, heatproof bowl. This catches any stray bits.
8. Skin Shield: Immediately press a piece of plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper directly onto the warm surface of the cream. This prevents that dreaded skin from forming!
9. Chill Time: Transfer the bowl to your prepared ice bath for about 30 minutes, then move it to the fridge to chill completely (about 2 hours). Patience is key for the silkiest results!
10. The Final Zing: When you're ready to use your Sunshine Silk, whisk in that fresh lemon juice until it's perfectly smooth and bursting with flavor.

Kitchen Equipment you may need:

Whisk

Fine Mesh Strainer

Sunshine Notes:

• Feeling adventurous? Swap some or all of the lemon zest and juice for lime to create a zesty lime or lemon-lime dream!

Make-Ahead Magic:

• Sunshine Silk can be made up to 3 days in advance! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge with plastic wrap or buttered parchment pressed directly onto the surface.

Get ready to fill your world with the vibrant, smooth, and utterly delicious Sunshine Silk Lemon Pastry Cream!

Here are some delicious and creative ways to use this creamy delight, to live La Dolce Vita!

1: Fill Pastries.

Cream puffs, or eclairs.

Cannoli 

Bomboloni (Italian doughnuts) — pipe it in after frying!

Sfogliatelle or cornetti for a bright surp inside.

2: Layer Cakes & Tarts

Use between cake layers (especially sponge of genoise)

Fill a lemon tart shell and top with berries or a glaze.

Swirl into a cheesecake layer or marble into ricotta cake batter.

3: Serve as a dessert on its own

Spoon into cups, chill, and top with whipped cream, berries, toasted almonds or crumbled amaretti.

4: Make a fruit trifle.

Layer with ladyfingers, berries and whipped cream in a glass bowl or jars.

5: Stuff Croissants or Brioche for a bakery style breakfast.

6: Pipe onto cookies or inside macarons.

7: Mix into Parfaits or yogurt and top with granola and fruit.

8: Swirl into ice cream or gelato 

Try this pastry cream in so many different, and delicious ways.

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