Chocolate Pastry Cream (French Crème Pâtissière au Chocolat)

Chocolate pastry cream is all about the chocolate. The flavour should be earthy, rich, and intense, not mild and milky. The key to pulling that off is using high-quality dark chocolate, for a cocoa-forward flavour that isn't too sweet. A dash of ground cinnamon deepens the natural chocolate flavour even further.

4 oz (½ cup) granulated sugar, plain or toasted (115 g)
1 oz (3 Tbsp.) cornstarch (30 g)
¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
2½ oz yolks from 4 large eggs, straight from the fridge (70 g)
2 cups whole milk (455 g)
4 oz (¾ cup) dark chocolate, about 70%, chopped (115 g)
1 oz (2 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into ½" cubes (30 g)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (5 mL)

Special Equipment:
2 qt stainless steel saucier
balloon whisk
fine-mesh strainer

In a large bowl, set up an ice bath by partially filling it with a combination of cold water and ice. Set aside.

In a 2 qt stainless steel saucier, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk in egg yolks, followed by the milk, until well combined.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until pastry cream begins to thicken, about 8 minutes. Once it thickens, continue to whisk, pausing every few seconds to check for bubbles, about 1 minute. When it begins to bubble, set a timer and continue whisking for 1 minute. This step is important to neutralize starch-dissolving protein found in egg yolks.

Off-heat, whisk in chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract until chocolate and butter have melted and all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Strain pastry cream through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium heatproof bowl. Immediately place plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper directly on the surface of the cream to prevent skin from forming.

Transfer bowl to prepared ice bath to chill for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

When you are ready to use the pastry cream, whisk until smooth.

Makes 3 cups.

Cook's Notes:

If you have cinnamon sticks instead of ground cinnamon, you can steep it with the milk. To do this, follow the steps for vanilla pastry cream but substitute 1 cinnamon stick for the vanilla bean; follow the vanilla pastry cream recipe's instructions for whisking the hot milk into the eggs, then proceed with Step 3 of this recipe.

Make-Ahead and Storage:  Pastry cream can be refrigerated in an airtight container with plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper placed directly on the custard's surface for up to 3 days.