Pastry Cream / Crème Pâtissière:

1. 1

   1. Mix the cornflour/cornstarch with 1/2 cup of milk and stir until dissolved.

2. 2

   2. Heat the remaining milk in a saucepan with the sugar, dissolving the sugar and bringing the milk to the boil. Remove from heat.

3. 3

   3. Beat the whole eggs into the cornflour/milk mixture. Then beat in the egg yolks. Pour in 1/3 of the hot milk, stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking.

4. 4

   4. Now, bring the remaining milk back to the boil, and add the eggy mixture, whisking as your pour. Keep whisking (don't stop or it'll solidify) on a medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken.

5. 5

   5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and thoroughly whisk the pastry cream. At this stage the pastry cream can look slightly lumpy, but a good whisking soon makes it smoother.

6. 6

   (N.B. If you're worried about the pastry cream continuing to cook off the heat, you can transfer it to a stainless steel/ceramic bowl.)

7. 7

   6. Beat in the butter and vanilla until fully incorporated.

8. 8

   7. If you haven't already, pour the pastry cream into a stainless steel or ceramic bowl, and then place clingfilm over the surface to stop a skin forming.

9. 9

   8. Refrigerate overnight to give the pastry cream time to further thicken.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.