Stable Pastry Cream with Vegan Egg Yolk

Free

Difficulty: Low
Time: 20 min
Quantity: about 400 g
Type: Creams, Mousses and Ganaches
Dietary requirements: Nut-free Gluten-free Cream-free Vegan

Ingredients

300 g plant-based milk

62 g granulated sugar

34 g cornstarch

51 g block margarine

10 g Yellow Chlorella

zest of 1/2 lemon

Today I want to show you another type of pastry cream; I will use a product that actually replaces the egg yolk, it is Yellow Chlorella. It is a yellow powder made from yellow chlorella, that is, an alga. It is a substitute for whole egg or yolk for both sweet and savory recipes. It is vegan and also gluten-free; it also gives color, flavor and texture similar to egg. In this cream we will use this alga as a replacement for yolks; the pastry cream made this way really resembles the traditional one with yolks, the flavor and creaminess on the palate are exceptional. I recommend trying it at least once to notice the difference. Read click here for the full article on Chlorella. Unlike the soft cream with vegan yolk (recipe here), which is soft and creamy, with this recipe you obtain a more stable and dense cream, suitable for making a diplomat cream (inspired by this recipe) or for filling multi-layer sponge cake.

Method

In a bowl weigh the sugar, cornstarch, add the yellow chlorella and mix with a whisk.

In a jug weigh the plant-based milk. In a small saucepan weigh the margarine and add the lemon zest. Pour 1/3 of the milk into the bowl with the powders and mix with a whisk.

Pour a second portion of milk and continue to mix. Finally add the last portion of milk and mix well. Pour into the saucepan with margarine and lemon and place over the heat. Start to heat over low flame, stirring constantly with a whisk.

The margarine will now begin to melt and incorporate into the mixture. Continue cooking stirring with the whisk and bring to a boil. The cream will have thickened.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, remove the lemon zest, transfer to a bowl or container, cover with plastic wrap in contact and let rest in the fridge for at least 3 h. Once cooled, work (mix) the cream by hand with a spatula or in a planetary mixer with the paddle. Keep covered in the fridge until use.

Storage

Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Tips

The yellow chlorella is from the company IN-Vece, you can buy it on Amazon or on their online shop; they ship to Italy and Europe. If you live outside Europe look online for Yellow Chlorella sellers near you. This recipe is by Dario Beluffi, vegan pastry chef and founder of In-Vece. It is recommended to read these articles: - which ingredients to use - where to buy pastry ingredients and products