Sporcamuss with Diplomat Cream – Apulian pastries

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• icing sugar to dust
• optional: fresh berries
• Crema pasticcera:
• 5 large egg yolks
• 70 g sugar
• 30 g cornstarch
• 600 ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean
• 40 g cold unsalted butter
• tiny pinch salt
• Chantilly cream:
• 300 g double cream
• 5 g icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• Crème diplomat:
• 200 g crema pasticcera
• 200 g Chantilly cream

Steps

1. Custard Cream: In a small saucepan, warm the milk with the vanilla and set aside. Mix the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes pale, light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and a pinch of salt and mix well. Slowly pour half of the warm milk into the egg mixture while whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling, then transfer everything back to the saucepan and continue to whisk. Never let the pastry cream boil and keep it below 85°C otherwise it will scramble.
2. Remove from the heat and pour into a cold bowl to stop the cooking process. Whisk in the butter. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Transfer to a shallow bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly in contact with the surface to avoid a skin forming and let it cool completely.
3. Once the crema pasticcera has cooled, whisk together the ingredients for the Chantilly cream until medium peaks form. Whisk the crema pasticcera until it is smooth. Fold the Chantilly cream through the crema pasticcera in two parts. Chill for a few hours in the fridge to ensure the consistency is thick enough or if wish to use straight away whisk the Chantilly cream until it is thicker before adding to the crema pasticcera.
4. Pastry: Roll out and cut into squares around 8 cm and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated static oven at 200°C for 12–15 minutes, until golden and puffed. Let them cool completely.
5. To assemble: Cut the cooled puff pastry squares in half horizontally. Fill the base with crème diplomat then top with halved small strawberries (if adding) and cover with the other half pastry square and generously dust with icing sugar.