Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

Place whole egg and 2 egg yolks into a mixing bowl.

Add sugar, corn starch, and salt.

Whisk together completely until mixture turns from yellow to a very page creamy color and is slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.

Place milk in a saucepan.

Split vanilla bean lengthwise.

Scrape the cut side with a paring knife to extract the seeds (paste).

Add the seeds to the milk.

Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until milk just barely starts to simmer and a few small bubbles appear on the surface.

Remove from heat.

Whisk hot milk into egg mixture, starting with a small splash then incorporating the rest.

Pour mixture back into saucepan.

Place pan over medium-low heat and continue to whisk until mixture begin to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let it cool 5 minutes.

Add chunks of butter and whisk until butter melts into the warm milk mixture.

Pass mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove and chunks of cooked egg or vanilla seeds.

Cover surface with plastic to keep it from discoloring; refrigerate until thoroughly chilled 2 to 3 hours.