Preparation

• Start with the vanilla custard. Cut the vanilla bean pod lengthwise in half and scrape out the seeds. Add the pod and the seeds to a small saucepan together with the milk and heavy cream and heat up. The milk should be hot, but not boiling. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for about 10 minutes.
• Mix the cornstarch and sugar in a small bowl. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk. Add a little of the milk/cream mixture to the bowl and stir until smooth.
• Place the saucepan with the milk/cream again on the stove and slowly bring to a boil. As soon as you see bubbles coming up on the sides of the saucepan, stir in the starch mixture and cook the mix until the custard has thickened nicely. Next, add the egg and egg yolk and stir in – make sure to stir immediately and well, or the egg might curdle. Remove the saucepan from the heat and cover the custard (directly on the surface) with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool down completely. The custard can be prepared a day in advance and stored in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment and set them aside. Allow the puff pastry dough to come to room temperature for about 10 minutes.
• Unroll the first puff pastry sheet on your work surface. Mix sugar and vanilla powder and sprinkle evenly on top of the dough. Place the second puff pastry sheet on top and press them together – works well with a rolling pin. Cut the dough from the short side into strips that are about 4 cm wide. Grab the strips at both ends and twist them and stretch them a little at the same time. Then shape this twisted dough strings into pretzels or any other shape you like, such as hearts or Easter eggs. Place them on the trays with enough space between them.
• Stir the custard to soften it and to get rid of any lumps, then fill the pretzel cavities or the openings of the hearts or Easter eggs with the custard. Decorate the pastry pieces with some raspberry jam to your liking. Brush the dough with whisked egg yolk and then bake the two trays in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. The puff pastry should have risen nicely and gotten some color. Remove from the oven and let cool down on the baking sheets. Dust with a little powdered sugar if desired (optional) and serve.