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Freezing pastry cream based on cornstarch
In a Antonio Bachour’s second viennoiserie collection there is a recipe for pistachio flan, where he make the pastry cream with cornstarch and then freezes it.
From my past experience and knowledge, freezing a pastry cream made with cornstarch can cause water to ooze out of the cream (to avoid that Antonia, in his first collection, used Gelcrem Hot for making a pastry cream for pain au raisin).
Why was it okay to freeze a cornstarch based pastry cream here?
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2 Replies
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Hi Dor Mesica
In this pistachio flan recipe, the pastry cream made with cornstarch can be frozen without separating due to several specific factors related to the recipe and its ingredients:
High fat content: The presence of pistachio paste and butter in the pastry cream increases the fat content, which helps stabilize the mixture during freezing. Fat acts as a natural emulsifier and can prevent water from separating.
Cornstarch ratio: The amount of cornstarch used (45 g in 550 g of milk) is carefully calibrated to thicken the cream without overdoing it. Overly thick pastry cream tends to separate more during freezing, but in this recipe, the texture is well-balanced.
Quick freezing: If the pastry cream is frozen quickly, the formation of large ice crystals is minimized, reducing the risk of breaking the cream’s structure.
Subsequent use of the frozen flan: The pastry cream is used as a filling inside a croissant dough that undergoes fermentation and baking. This process helps reincorporate any minor water separation that may occur during freezing.
Processing with acetate sheet (guitar paper): Smoothing the surface with guitar paper before freezing ensures a uniform texture, which can also help maintain the cream’s stability during freezing.
In summary, the combination of high fat content, a controlled amount of cornstarch, and proper handling of the mixture allows this cornstarch-based pastry cream to withstand freezing without separating. Additionally, its final use inside the baked croissant can “correct” any minimal separation that might have occurred.
I hope this information is helpful.
Best regards.
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