Not real pastry cream, but what’s inside a cream bun then?
Keuringsdienst van Waarde has discovered: that yellow pudding in a cream bun, or between the layers of a tompouce, isn’t real pastry cream at all. Huh? So what’s inside that little bun?
Consumer programme Keuringsdienst van Waarde has already exposed earlier stunts by the food industry. For example, they deciphered what ‘Skyr’ actually is, explored the wonderful world of water filters and revealed that Emmentaler doesn’t necessarily have to come from Switzerland. The episode from a few weeks ago, in which Keuringsdienst investigated what pastry cream actually is – and what it isn’t – was another one in the ‘do you really want to see this’ category.
The real deal
It won’t surprise you, but that bright yellow custard you can make with ready-made packets (add a little water, mix, let it stand; dig in) has absolutely nothing to do with pastry cream. Those powders are also in the packs you can use to make tompouces yourself and in individual sachets, if you want to make pudding buns at home. OK, were we really surprised that it isn’t the real deal, with egg yolks and a vanilla pod, preferably from Madagascar? Not really, no.
The same every day
But here’s the thing: factories that make fruit flans also use exactly the same powder. In a large mixing vat, add water, stir, and voilà, you have a gigantic bucket of pastry cream. Why? The director of the fruit-flan factory is honest about it: this pastry cream is the same every day, you can make it in no time, and they don’t have to worry about storing the stuff. Handy, or not?
Mr Cees
The presenter, Ersin Kiris, doesn’t think it’s particularly tasty. He says it honestly: he’s not very fond of that yellow cream, even when the pudding is piped ‘fresh’ onto a bun and sprinkled with icing sugar. He stumbles up the stairs to make pastry cream with the baker of all bakers, Cees Holtkamp. Mr Cees is also annoyed that even artisanal pastry chefs no longer make their own pastry cream. Even though it’s incredibly easy: milk and sugar, cornflour and a vanilla pod, egg yolks and a little patience, and you get a delicious cream. Ersin can hardly believe his eyes, and guess what? He does like this cream.
Tasting panel: yuck!
Marijn has the pastry cream from those ready-made sachets tasted by a panel, alongside a genuine artisanal pastry cream made by baker Rudolf from 24Kitchen. Funny thing is, that fresh, artisanal cream isn’t the winner of the tasting. That’s the cheapest pudding of the whole lot. The lesson from this episode: real pastry cream is easy to make and incredibly delicious – and almost impossible to find anywhere. Most people no longer even know what it’s supposed to taste like, as the tasting panel’s verdict makes clear. Time to put a saucepan back on the stove and get to work on the very best cream buns, home made. Delicious!
