Hojicha Pastry Cream (Printable)

Silky custard infused with roasted hojicha tea, ideal for filling cream puffs and éclairs with nutty, mellow flavor.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 2 cups whole milk
02 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Tea

03 - 3 tablespoons hojicha loose leaf tea or 3 hojicha tea bags

→ Eggs

04 - 4 large egg yolks

→ Sweeteners

05 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar

→ Starch and Flavorings

06 - 3 tablespoons cornstarch
07 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - Pinch of salt

# How-To:

01 - In a medium saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Add hojicha tea, remove from heat, cover, and steep for 10 minutes.
02 - Strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the tea leaves to extract maximum flavor. Discard the leaves.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth and pale. Gradually pour the warm hojicha-infused milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
04 - Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
05 - Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
06 - Transfer pastry cream to a clean bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until completely cool and set.
07 - Before using, whisk briefly to smooth out the cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you've studied French pastry for years, but it's actually forgiving and hard to mess up.
  • Hojicha brings a nutty, roasted warmth that regular vanilla custard can never touch—it's subtle enough to feel elegant but bold enough to remember.
  • Once you master this, you'll start filling everything with it and won't regret a single decision.
02 -
  • Never skip the tempering step—it's the difference between silky custard and scrambled egg soup, and it takes maybe an extra minute but saves everything.
  • If your cream looks grainy after cooking, it's usually because the heat was too high or you stopped whisking; next time, medium heat and constant whisking fix this completely.
  • The plastic wrap touching the surface is not optional if you want to avoid that rubbery skin—trust this step even if it feels fussy.
03 -
  • If you're making this for a special occasion, prepare it the day before—it actually develops deeper hojicha flavor as it sits overnight, and it saves you stress during prep.
  • Whisk in a tablespoon of hojicha powder at the very end for even more intensity if you're a tea lover; it won't change the texture but will make the flavor unmistakable.
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