Hazelnut cream

Custard is a pillar of pastry making, one of the basic preparations. 

Traditional custard is made with milk, sugar, egg yolks, starches, and flavoring.

Today we will prepare it with a hazelnut flavour using a homemade hazelnut paste, you can find out here how to make hazelnut paste.

Procedure

Weigh the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. In a small bowl, add the lecithin, the hazelnut paste, and the cubed cold margarine. Finally, add the milk to a saucepan.

Add the lecithin to the sugar and starch and mix with a whisk.

Pour the powders into the milk and whisk together. If there are lumps, for example, if the lecithin isn't dissolving well, blend with an immersion blender.

Cook the custard over low heat, or on a low induction hob. 

While cooking, stir continuously with a whisk and bring to a temperature of about 85°C. You will immediately notice a change in consistency and the cream will begin to thicken. 

Then remove the saucepan from the heat, transfer the cream to a jug, add the hazelnut paste and margarine and blend with an immersion blender, stirring occasionally with a spatula so that the mixture blends well around the edges and bottom of the jug.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film, so that it does not form a skin, and leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours. 

Once the custard has completely cooled, it will have become thicker and more structured. Stir it a little with a spatula and it will then be ready to use.

Then store it in a covered container or transfer it to a piping bag in the fridge.