Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Pete. You're right that pastry cream needs to be cooked to a certain degree to avoid weeping or losing its set after it comes off the heat. (We see this happens from time to time with custard pies that are thickened with egg yolks and starch.) We've made the proper cooking time hopefully more clear in this post, describing that the mixture should be cooked long enough to resemble the consistency of mayonnaise, and the whisk should leave tracks in the pastry cream as you stir. The bubbles from the boil should reach from the outer edges to the center of the pot for best results. We appreciate you offering your thorough explanation of the process here. Kye@KAF

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