374 pastry cream recipes

Dried apple pie reconstitutes dried apple slices in fresh apple cider, then bakes them under a flaky double crust with cinnamon and nutmeg. The Appalachian winter pie made when fresh apples are out of season.

Roger's scallop tarts: delicate pastry cups filled with garlic-cream cheese, seared scallops, and a tiny crown of caviar. A classy, bite-sized seafood appetizer.

Classic crab quiche with lump crab meat, Swiss cheese, and a silky egg custard in a flaky pie crust. Baked until golden with a gentle cayenne warmth.

Greek spanakopita triangles with spinach, feta, and cream cheese wrapped in buttery phyllo dough. Crispy, flaky appetizers that freeze beautifully for make-ahead entertaining.

White chocolate cheesecake slices wrapped in buttery phyllo and baked crisp. A restaurant-style dessert with orange zest, finished with bright fruit purées.

Fresh strawberries baked under a flaky single-crust pastry with just sugar, flour, and butter. This rustic deep-dish strawberry pie is simple, juicy, and begs for a dollop of whipped cream.

Just about any combination of grated cheese, vegetables, leftover meat, poultry, or seafood, or whatever else appeals to you can be added to this all-purpose custard.

Gateau St. Honore with a puff pastry base, caramel-dipped cream puffs, brandy-raisin chocolate mousse filling, and piped whipped cream in alternating chocolate and vanilla stripes. A showstopping French patisserie centerpiece.

Acadian cranberry pie, a Nova Scotian tradition: tart cranberries cooked with sugar and enriched with egg and butter, baked in a lattice crust and served with cream. Sweet-tart, rustic, and old-fashioned.

Ham and bacon-wrapped chicken breasts baked in creamy mushroom sauce, then sealed in golden puff pastry packets. A showstopper dinner party main that's easier than it looks.

Quiche Kenepuru: a New Zealand-style mussel quiche with onion, cheese, cream, and marjoram in flaky pastry. Coastal Kiwi cooking at its most iconic.

Ham and egg quiche in a crisp blind-baked shortcrust shell, with a creamy ham filling and whole eggs cracked on top so the yolks bake into golden domes. An easy brunch or lunch bake.

Mini crawfish pies with a buttery cream filling spiked with cayenne, baked in flaky tart shells. Louisiana party food that freezes for up to two weeks ahead.

Broccoli and cheese quiche with sharp cheddar, fresh broccoli florets, and a silky egg-and-cream custard accented with nutmeg. A classic brunch quiche for weekends, holidays, or make-ahead lunches.

Chicken breasts wrapped in ham and bacon, baked in mushroom-sour cream sauce, then sealed in puff pastry packets until golden. An impressive two-stage dinner party main.

Crab phyllo triangles: shatteringly crisp pastry packets stuffed with creamy garlic crab and fresh chives. The cocktail-party appetizer that disappears off the tray first.