Pasticciera Cream (Italian Pastry Cream ) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Basic Recipe
3 tablespoons sugar (or confectioner's sugar)
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind (omit for chocolate pasticciera cream) (optional)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon butter
Chocolate Pasticciera Cream
2 ounces baking chocolate, grated

Preparation

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.