When thought gets too heavy and lessons come too hard, I’m pretty sure French pastry is called for. Eee Gads, I’m sick of hearing myself think; it’s time to make busy the hands…

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Crème Pâtissière is about the best custard I’ve ever had with fruit and as I have a ton of rhubarb in the freezer begging for invention, we’re going outside the customary creme box and adding GINGER. Lots and lots of spicy ginger.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 Tablespoons Kirsch (cherry liquor)
• ½ Tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• ½ cup pastry flour
• 1 Tablespoon butter

 

Begin by bringing your milk to a boil in a small sauce pan. As soon as you see the steam rising, throw the fresh and ground ginger into it and let it simmer gently, not allowing it to scorch.

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar on high until it turns soft yellow and thick, about 2-3 minutes.

Beat the flour into the egg yolk, sugar mix.

In a SUPER slow drizzle, gradually add the boiling milk to the egg/sugar/flour mix – tempering the eggs so they don’t cook – like so…

Then transfer it into a medium sauce pan and whisk the Dickens out of it over a med-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, put the heat to low and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes. This is the forearm workout of the month, but don’t give up or your crème will curdle and burn.

Once it’s thick and shiny, remove it from the heat and add the butter and Kirsch.

Put it in a container and cover the top of the crème with cling wrap so it doesn’t form a skin.

Throw it into the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably over night. It’ll keep for a week in the fridge, but can also be frozen after it chills.

Stay tuned, we’re gonna do something yummy….

 

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