Hojicha Pastry Cream (Print)

Silky custard infused with roasted hojicha tea, ideal for cream puffs and éclairs with nutty, smoky notes.

# Components:

→ 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 & Flavorings

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

# Method:

01 - Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Add hojicha tea, remove from heat, cover, and steep for 10 minutes.
02 - Pour milk through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the tea leaves gently to extract maximum flavor. Discard the spent leaves.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until the mixture is smooth and pale in color.
04 - Gradually pour the warm hojicha-infused milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to safely raise the egg temperature.
05 - Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract until completely incorporated and smooth.
07 - Transfer pastry cream to a clean bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
08 - Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until completely cool and firmly set.
09 - Before using as a filling, whisk briefly to smooth out the cream to the desired consistency.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It transforms an ordinary cream puff into something that tastes like you've studied pastry in Kyoto and France simultaneously.
  • The hojicha flavor is sophisticated but not intimidating—it whispers rather than shouts, making it forgiving for first attempts.
  • Once you master this base, you'll find yourself filling éclairs, layering it in cakes, and folding it into whipped cream without thinking twice.
02 -
  • If your pastry cream breaks or looks grainy during cooking, stop immediately, pour it through a fine sieve into a clean bowl, and gently whisk in a tablespoon of cold milk until smooth—this rescue has saved me more than once.
  • The hojicha steep time is non-negotiable; too short and you'll barely taste it, too long and it can turn slightly bitter, so that 10-minute window is genuinely important.
  • Don't skip the tempering step by dumping cold yolks into hot milk or vice versa; the slow combination is what keeps everything creamy instead of curdled.
03 -
  • If you can't find loose leaf hojicha, quality tea bags work perfectly fine—just remember to remove them before straining and pressing out that precious liquid.
  • The moment your mixture starts to bubble is when you need a spoon to test the back-of-spoon consistency; overcooked cream becomes heavy and loses its appeal, so set a timer and stick close.
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