Combine whole milk, sugar, vanilla bean pods and seeds, orange zest, and orange juice in a medium, heavy saucepan.

Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves.

Remove the saucepan from the heat.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until the mixture turns pale yellow, about 2 minutes.

Gradually add 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling.

Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk and whisk to combine thoroughly.

Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 3 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately strain the pastry cream into a clean container, scraping the bottom of the strainer to capture all the cream.

Discard the vanilla bean pod or rinse and reserve it for another use.

Cover the surface of the pastry cream with plastic wrap, pressing it down directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Refrigerate the pastry cream until it is well chilled, about 3 hours, before using.