Help with pastry cream recipe

Hello - I've used a pastry cream recipe for years that contains only whole eggs and no yolks.  While looking through some cookbooks of late, noticed many recipes that use only yolks?  Can someone help me understand what the difference would be?  I primarily use the cream to fill cream puffs.  Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by skatz85 

i have always used and was taught to use yolks in making pastr cream. may i ask how u would make it using whole eggs, do u just whip them and then temper it?

Hello skatz85 and thank you for your response.  Would you be willing to share your formula using just the yolks?  We were taught the following recipe in all of my pastry classes at The CIA several years ago:

Milk 16 oz

Sugar 4 oz

Whole eggs  3 ea  

Cornstarch 1.5 oz

Butter 1.5 oz

Vanilla bean 1/2 ea

Salt pinch

We boiled most of the milk, salt and 1/2 the sugar.  Combined the remaining sugar and milk, along with the starch and added the whole eggs to that slurry.  Liaisoned part of the hot milk mixture into the starch mixture and returned all to the pan and continued cooking as you would probably be familiar with. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jellly 

I have also seen pastry cream recipes that use whole eggs.  There should be a difference in texture with using just yolks - the higher fat content should result in a richer pastry cream.

Hello Jellly and thank you for your response - makes perfect sense.  I'll give it a shot!