Vanilla Custard
8 egg yolks
80 g cornstarch
1 vanilla bean
180 g sugar
750 ml milk
250 ml double cream
Place the milk, cream, and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and the bean itself to the saucepan. Heat gently until the mixture reaches a simmer, then remove from the heat.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch.
Now it's time to temper the egg yolks by slowly adding the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Be careful to add the milk in small amounts at first to avoid scrambling the eggs.
Once the mixture is fully combined, return it to the saucepan and heat over medium, stirring continuously with a whisk. Heat until the mixture reaches 85°C. Once it begins to thicken and bubble, remove from heat.
Continue stirring as the mixture cools. Store the custard in the fridge with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
This custard can be used as a filling for cream puffs or Danish pastries.