Deserts

[livingstonfran]

Can some one tell me what the difference between cornstarch pudding and pastry cream is and can they used interchangeably. Thank for you time and assistance in advance.

[Dee514]

I cannot say for sure because I have not made a "cornstarch pudding", so I have no basis for comparison.

What I can tell you is that the pastry cream I have used for decades is thickened with egg yolks and flour. Whole milk/cream, sugar and flavoring (pure vanilla extract or vanilla beans, or melted chocolate, or grated lemon zest) are among the other pastry cream ingredients. The pastry cream is cooked over a double boiler, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. It is then boiled for about 4-5 minutes. It is then cooled/chilled for about 4 hours until it is very thick. (Pastry cream should be thick enough to be piped through a pastry bag and hold its shape.)

If that is how "cornstarch pudding" is made, then I suppose they are interchangeable.

I am not sure how long a "cornstarch pudding" will hold up before it starts to weep, or if it is thick enough to hold its shape when piped.

[livingstonfran]

Thank you so much for your reply. I had looked for the answer on line but did not get a satisfactory answer. I have been wondering if I could use cornstarch pudding in place of pastry cream and I am certain that it would not work.

[1Steve]

livingstonfran wrote:
Thank you so much for your reply. I had looked for the answer on line but did not get a satisfactory answer. I have been wondering if I could use cornstarch pudding in place of pastry cream and I am certain that it would not work.

Depending on what you are using it for it will work. As Dee said it has to be thick enough to pipe out of a pastry bag. If you notice in the supermarket, if you buy packaged pudding ( the kind you cook not instant) It is often marked pudding and pie filling. You would follow the pie filling rather than the pudding directions on the box to have it thick enough to pipe. If you make the cornstarch pudding from scratch you will need to add more cornstarch to achieve the same result.

[livingstonfran]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. It means a lot to me that people care enough to help some one.