Holiday Creamy Pumpkin Custard Bites Dessert Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between pastry cream and custard? ›

Put simply, pastry cream is a type of custard. Adding cornstarch to the vanilla custard will give you a thick, firm substance (almost like vanilla pudding) that will hold its shape when piped. Custard that you can pour, which is only thickened with eggs, is actually called crème anglaise.

The knife test: Test for doneness with a thin-bladed knife. Insert knife about 1 inch from the center of a one-dish custard; midway between center and edge of cups. If knife is clean when pulled out, the custard is done. If any custard clings to the blade, bake a few minutes longer and test again.

3 Varieties of Custard

There are three main varieties of custard: baked custard, stirred custard, and steamed custard. The first two are both popular in Western cuisine. Baked custard is typically firmer and made with whole eggs, while stirred custards can be much runnier and often only contain the yolks.

Custard is generally made of cream, egg yolks, and sugar while cream is just cream, possibly mixed with some sugar. The egg yolks in custard contain cholesterol and the cream has high amounts of saturated fat, which isn't the best combination. Unless the custard is made with gelatin, I think cream would be "healthier."

Custard is a decadent dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar. Eggs are responsible for custard's thick and velvety texture, but some recipes (such as this one) call for thickeners such as cornstarch or arrowroot for extra richess.

If you pour whisked eggs directly into a hot pan, they'll begin to cook immediately, resulting in something that looks and tastes a lot more like scrambled eggs than custard.

P.S. In case you're wondering what the difference is between Crème Pâtissière and custard (which the French refer to as Crème Anglaise), it's the cornflour. Officially, custard shouldn't contain cornflour. So basically, Crème Pâtissière (or pastry cream) is simply set custard.

In most of the U.S., “custard” and “ice cream” are often used interchangeably, but depending on where you live and who you ask, they can mean markedly different kinds of scoops. The main distinction is eggs: ice cream may have them, but custard always does.

Ingredients: Both custards and puddings begin with a base of sweetened cream or milk. The main difference is the ingredient used as a thickening agent. Eggs are an essential ingredient in custard, as they give the dessert its gelatinous texture. Instead of egg proteins, flour or cornstarch are thickeners in puddings.

Can you eat pastry cream by itself? ›

There's something about a pastry cream that no mousse or ganache can ever replicate. It's smooth and custardy—the perfect texture. You can eat it on its own by the spoonful almost like pudding, but it's terrific in tarts and on cakes.