However, the next time you're in Ross or TJ Maxx, pick a sieve. You'll use it for everything from sifting dry ingredients, to sifting powdered sugar over a dessert, to straining a stock, to ....sieving pastry cream!
It will work, but frankly my fave tool for pastry cream forcing, or removing any tiny bits from a mass of creamy stuff (picture an errant sugar grain in a mass of butter cream which must pipe through a fine fine tip) is a hosiery sock, AKA "knee high". These can be had for very little money and are avail at drug stores, dollar stores etc. Stretch the sock over a narrowish vessel- a pitcher, a large yogurt tub even, the elastic at the top of the sock will hold it in place, and load it full of cream. Remove the elastic from the vessel and hold the (now full of cream) sock in one hand, and the elastic part of the sock in the other. Make a sort of a grip around the top of the cream filled sock with your hand, and pull the sock through this grip OVER A BOWL. The cream will come out the mesh of the hosiery, the bits of sugar or overcooked egg will stay behind, leaving you with a very smooth mass of cream, icing, etc. I do understand that if you lack a sieve, you may also lack a hosiery sock, but maybe making pastry cream will be your new favorite thing to do, and you will stock up on cream and eggs and knee highs and be the pastry cream king of your community.
3 Comments