Chocolate Pastry Cream Recipes

Steps:

• Make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks until combined, then whisk in the milk. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken, 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.
• Whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste. Transfer to a bowl, then press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream. Let cool, then refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Start the cream puff dough: In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, butter and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes together. Cook until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan into a ball and looks dry, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Finish the cream puff dough: Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs, one at a time, waiting until they are fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix until the batter is shiny and stiff. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed to incorporate the eggs. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round pastry tip.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Form and bake: On the prepared baking sheet, pipe rounds of dough that are 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and about 1 inch high, allowing 1 inch between each. Alternatively, measure out a scant 1/4-cup dough for each puff. Wet your finger and press down any pointed tops on the cream puffs. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F and bake until firm to the touch, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Finish baking: Shut the oven off. Let the puffs dry inside the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
• Assemble: Using a paring knife, hollow out a hole in the bottom of each of the puffs. Pipe the pastry cream into the hole. Alternatively, you can cut the top off each puff and remove any undercooked dough in the center, then fill with the pastry cream and top with the top again. Hold in the refrigerator until ready to garnish and serve.
• Make the chocolate sauce: In a small pot, heat the cream. In a small bowl that fits over the pot of cream (without the bottom of the bowl touching the cream), combine the chocolate with the cinnamon. Use the pot of cream as the bottom of the double boiler and melt the chocolate over the cream. When the chocolate is melted, add the heated cream to the bowl with the chocolate and whisk to combine. Keep warm.
• Top the cream puffs with a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar and some of the chocolate sauce.

Steps:

• Stir together the milk, salt, vanilla bean and seeds and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a medium saucepan until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the sugar has just dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch, egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl until smooth. While continually whisking, slowly pour in about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture. Continue to whisk until smooth. (This is called tempering, and it will prevent the yolks from scrambling.) Continue whisking and adding 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture at a time until completely combined and smooth.
• Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened and the texture of pudding, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the butter until smooth and glossy. Remove the vanilla bean.
• Strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the pastry cream, and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Before serving, whisk the pastry cream until smooth and fluffy.

Steps:

• In a heatproof bowl whisk together yolks, sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt (mixture will be very stiff). In a heavy saucepan bring milk just to a boil over moderate heat and in a stream add 1/4 cup to egg mixture, whisking until smooth, and whisk in remaining 3/4 cup milk. Transfer egg mixture to pan and bring to a boil, whisking (mixture will look curdled but will become smooth as whisked). Boil pastry cream, whisking vigorously, 1 minute and remove from heat. Stir in chocolate and butter, stirring until melted and combined well. Transfer hot pastry cream to a heatproof bowl and chill, surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, about 2 hours. Pastry cream may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large saucepan over medium low heat combine sugar, cocoa, flour, and salt.
• Add water gradually stirring after every addition. The mixture will look really watery but it thickens up quickly. Cook this over medium heat stirring constantly.
• Once mixture has thickened add Kahlua and chocolate chips. Lower the heat.
• Stir until the chips have all melted and mixture has thickened again.
• Add cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and once again stir until all incorporated and mixture almost starts to boil, or until it reaches the consistency of hot fudge. Be careful not to let the chocolate on the bottom burn!
• Allow to cool while puff pastry is prepared.
• Unfold puff pastry sheets on parchment paper and use a rolling pin to stretch by about 1 inch on all sides and to smooth out folds.
• Cut each pastry sheet into four squares.
• Place sqaures on greased cookie sheets.
• Place approximately 1/4 cup of filling in center of pastry and then immediately fold corners in to make a square envelope. Pinch the corners to ensure that it stays together.
• Repeat for remaining pastry squares.
• Make an egg wash by beating together the egg and milk and brush on each puff pastry.
• Sprinkle puff pastries with cinnamon sugar.
• Place in oven and bake for approxiately 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown and flakey.
• Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and then sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of each pastry square before serving.
• Good alone or served with ice cream or whipped cream.

Steps:

• Place sugar, egg yolks flour, lemon rind (if using it), and vanilla in a sauce pan and mix together well.
• In a separate sauce pan, scald milk.
• Very slowly pour milk over egg yolk mixture, in a thin stream, beating constantly with rotary beater.
• Continue cooking on low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until mixture reaches the boiling point.
• Cook 4 minutes longer, stirring constantly.
• (**At this point, if making chocolate pasticciera cream, add chocolate and while stirring, cook 1 minute longer.) Remove pan from heat, add butter and mix well.
• Pour into bowl and let cool, stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming over the top.
• If using as a cake/pastry filling, chill (with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming) until very thick at least 3-4 hours.
• For Chocolate Pasticciera Cream: **Add grated chocolate to cooked pasticciera cream and cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly, until chocolate is blended well.
• Cool/chill before using as a cake/pastry filling.