Vanilla custard

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

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

In this recipe, part of the milk is replaced with cream to make it smoother and creamier. A mix of cornstarch and rice starch provides both structure and creaminess. A pinch of turmeric adds a light yellow color since the egg yolks are not used. A small amount of margarine provides structure and fat to the cream, and finally, lecithin acts as an emulsifier in place of the egg yolk. 

Procedure

In a bowl, weigh the granulated sugar, cornstarch, rice starch, lecithin, and turmeric powder and mix with a whisk.

Split the vanilla bean, scrape out the seeds, and add them to the plant-based milk and cream. Gradually pour the milk and cream with the vanilla over the dry ingredients, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Blend with an immersion blender to dissolve any lecithin that may have formed lumps.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook the custard over low heat. Stir constantly with a whisk as it cooks, bringing the temperature to about 85°C. You'll immediately notice a change in consistency and the custard will begin to thicken. 

Then remove the saucepan from the heat and let the cream cool to around 60°C, at this point add the cold margarine cut into cubes and mix or blend with an immersion blender. 

Then transfer the custard into a container and cover with cling film, so that it does not form a skin, and leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours. 

Once the pastry cream has completely cooled, it will have become thicker and more structured and will be ready to use. Store it in the covered container or transfer it to a piping bag in the refrigerator.