Vanilla Pastry Cream

• 2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus two tablespoons, divided
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Prepare your pastry cream ahead of time, so it has time to cool. To make the pastry cream, combine the milk in a sauce pan with ¼ cup of sugar. Bring the milk to a gentle boil. In the meantime, combine the egg yolks with the cornstarch and 1/3 cup of sugar. Whisk together until smooth and lightened. Add the vanilla extract and whisk to incorporate.
2. Once the milk comes to a boil, add a ladle at a time to the egg mixture, whisking to ensure that the eggs do not curdle. Then return the milk/egg mixture to the pan and heat over medium heat whisking until the pastry cream comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat stir in two tablespoons of butter, and pour the pastry cream into a heatproof boil. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and cool in the fridge before using.