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I’ve been experimenting with recipes for mango pastry cream for a while.  My previous go-to recipe was good, but it really didn’t have a whole lot of mango flavor.  I’m pretty happy with the results of this current iteration of mango pastry cream.  My friends and family must agree, because I got so many requests for the recipe that I had no choice but to share!

Place your egg yolks in a measuring cup or small mixing bowl and whisk them, then add sugar and whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Once that is done, add your flour and whisk until the flour is combined, there are no clumps, and the mixture is pale yellow.  Set them aside.

Combine the mango puree and the half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to combine.  Heat the mixture until it starts to simmer, then remove it from the heat.  Add the hot mango mixture gradually into the yolk mixture, a little bit at a time, whisking constantly.  When about 1/3 of the mango mixture has been added, add the yolk mixture to the remaining mango mixture in the pot.

Return the mixture to the heat and cook until the mixture thickens (it took about 5-10 minutes for me), whisking frequently to keep clumps from forming.  When it is thick enough, remove it from the heat and stir in your butter and vanilla bean paste.  When the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth, strain it into a heat-proof bowl with a fine mesh strainer.

Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before you use it.

This pastry cream has many uses.  One of the favorites is filling tartlet shells with it, which makes a simple and fancy dessert.  You can also use it to fill donuts, in puff pastry, or even just eaten as-is with whipped cream!

Stayed tuned for a post on how to many tartlet shells coming soon!

Mango Pastry Cream

Ingredients

• 1 cup mango puree (strained if using fibrous mangoes)
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3/8 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into chunks

Directions

In a measuring cup or small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and flour until pale and creamy.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the mango puree and half and half.  When the mixture starts to simmer, remove from heat.  Gradually add the hot mango mixture to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.  When about 1/3 of the mixture has been incorporated, pour the yolk mixture into the remaining hot mango mixture and stir to combine.

Return the mixture to the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens starts to form bubbles.  Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla paste (or extract), stirring until the butter has completely melted and incorporated.  Strain with a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl, then cover with plastic wrap (with the plastic touching the surface of the cream to avoid forming a skin), and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before using.