Madagascar Vanilla Recipe

prepare vanilla bean

Using a sharp knife, split the Madagascar vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of the knife. Reserve both seeds and pod.

heat dairy

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream with the vanilla seeds and the scraped pod. Warm the mixture over medium heat until just below a simmer (small bubbles around edges), about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes to infuse.

whisk yolks and dry ingredients

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch and salt until smooth, pale, and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes.

temper eggs

Remove the vanilla pod from the warm milk mixture and discard. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the yolk mixture to temper, then slowly whisk the tempered yolks back into the remaining warm milk in the saucepan.

cook pastry cream

Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a gentle boil, about 3–5 minutes. Continue whisking and cook for an additional 30–60 seconds after it begins to boil to fully activate the cornstarch.

finish with butter

Remove from heat and whisk in the unsalted butter until fully incorporated and glossy. If desired, strain the pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to ensure extra smooth texture.

cool

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 2 hours (or overnight).

If using a tart shell: blind-bake and cool the shell according to your tart recipe. Spoon or pipe the chilled Madagascar vanilla pastry cream into the prepared shell, smoothing the top with an offset spatula.

Top the filled tart with fresh berries, dust lightly with powdered sugar and garnish with mint leaves. Alternatively, serve spoonfuls of pastry cream in bowls with berries on the side.

Serve chilled. Keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.