Mousseline Cream

Mousseline cream is a French delight, but we can give it an Italian touch using ingredients typical of our land. Mousseline cream is essentially pastry cream enriched with butter and, sometimes, whipped cream, which makes it suitable for filling sweets like cakes and choux pastry.

Ingredients

• 250 ml of whole milk
• 1 vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract if you prefer)
• 3 egg yolks
• 75 g of granulated sugar
• 25 g of 00 flour
• 25 g of cornstarch (Maizena)
• 200 g of soft butter
• (Optional) 2 tablespoons of orange or lemon liqueur for an Italian touch

Preparation

1. Heat the milk with the split vanilla pod and the scraped seeds inside until it is about to boil, then turn off and allow to infuse for about ten minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes light and frothy.
3. Add the sifted flour and starch, mixing well to avoid lumps.
4. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk and slowly pour the hot milk over the egg and sugar mixture, continuing to stir with a hand whisk.
5. Put the mixture back into the pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the cream thickens and begins to boil. Let it boil gently for 1-2 minutes to cook the starch.
6. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap in contact to avoid the formation of a skin on the surface. Let it cool completely.
7. When the cream is cold, take the soft butter and whip it with an electric mixer or by hand until it becomes creamy and frothy.
8. Incorporate the butter into the pastry cream a little at a time, beating with the whisk until you get a smooth and homogeneous cream. If desired, you can also add the liqueur for flavoring.
9. (Optional) If you want an even softer and fluffier texture, you can add whipped cream to the mousseline cream.

This recipe is a timeless classic of pastry making. In Italy, you might find variations that include chocolate or orange zest for a touch of freshness and aroma. Mousseline cream can be used to fill desserts like Saint Honoré or mille-feuille.

Trivia

Mousseline cream is named after the “mousseline” fabric (muslin in Italian), which is very light and fine. The texture of this cream reminds us of the lightness of this fabric, hence the origin of the name.