Hojicha Pastry Cream (Printable)

Silky custard infused with roasted hojicha tea, offering nutty, mellow flavor and subtle smokiness ideal for cream puffs and éclairs.

# What You Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 2 cups whole milk
02 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Tea

03 - 3 tablespoons hojicha loose leaf tea or 3 hojicha tea bags

→ Eggs

04 - 4 large egg yolks

→ Sweeteners

05 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar

→ Starch & Flavorings

06 - 3 tablespoons cornstarch
07 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - Pinch of salt

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Add the hojicha tea, remove from heat, cover, and steep for 10 minutes.
02 - Pour the milk through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the tea leaves gently to extract maximum flavor. Discard the steeped leaves.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth and pale in color.
04 - Gradually pour the warm hojicha-infused milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.
05 - Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract until fully incorporated and smooth.
07 - Transfer the pastry cream to a clean bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent skin formation. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until completely cool and set.
08 - Before using, whisk the pastry cream briefly to restore a smooth consistency.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The hojicha infusion transforms an ordinary pastry cream into something sophisticated and uniquely aromatic, with a toasted warmth that makes people ask what makes it taste so special.
  • Once you master this, you'll have a filling elegant enough for fancy éclairs but approachable enough to pipe into a homemade cream puff on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
  • It's silkier and more interesting than standard vanilla, and honestly, it makes you feel like you've unlocked a secret from a professional kitchen.
02 -
  • The plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface is non-negotiable because even a thin skin ruins the luxurious texture, and that was a hard lesson learned when I forgot one time and had to scrape off the top layer.
  • If you stop whisking even for a moment during cooking, the eggs will begin to scramble around the edges of the pan, so set your phone aside and stay present with your cream until it thickens.
  • Hojicha tea loses its subtlety in heat, so don't let the milk boil or you'll scald the delicate toasted notes and end up with something that tastes harsh instead of mellow.
03 -
  • If your cream ends up slightly lumpy after cooking, strain it through a fine mesh sieve and it will become silky again, turning a potential disaster into something perfect.
  • The hojicha's quality matters more than you'd think, so invest in a good roasted tea from a specialty shop or Japanese grocer because stale or low quality tea will taste bitter instead of warm and toasted.
  • A kitchen thermometer is your friend here because milk that reaches 160-170°F is properly heated without being scalded, which preserves the delicate tea notes.
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