Crème Anglaise is a classic French dessert sauce that’s velvety smooth, rich, and delicately flavored with vanilla. This luscious custard sauce elevates any dessert, from fresh fruit and cakes to pastries and puddings, with its creamy texture and subtle sweetness. Made with simple ingredients like milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla, this versatile sauce requires a gentle hand and a little patience to achieve its silky perfection. Whether served warm or chilled, Crème Anglaise adds an elegant touch to your dessert presentation.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)
Instructions:
- Heat the Milk and Cream: In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, and half of the sugar. Add the vanilla bean and its seeds (or vanilla extract). Heat over medium heat until it’s steaming but not boiling. Remove from heat and let it steep for 5 minutes to enhance the vanilla flavor.
- Whisk the Egg Yolks: In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
- Temper the Egg Yolks: Gradually add a ladle of the warm milk mixture to the egg yolks while whisking constantly to temper the yolks and prevent curdling. Slowly pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and cream, whisking continuously.
- Cook the Sauce: Return the saucepan to low heat and cook the mixture gently, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Do not let it boil, as this will cause the custard to curdle. This process should take about 8–10 minutes.
- Strain and Cool: Remove the saucepan from heat and strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps or the vanilla bean pod.
- Chill or Serve: Allow the Crème Anglaise to cool slightly before serving warm, or cover the surface with plastic wrap (directly touching the custard to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate until chilled.
Crème Anglaise is the ultimate accompaniment to elevate your desserts with its silky, luxurious texture and aromatic vanilla notes. Serve it poured over chocolate cake, drizzled on fresh berries, or as a dipping sauce for profiteroles.
