Crème anglaise is a dessert sauce made from eggs, cream and fresh vanilla. Crème anglaise is commonly served in fine restaurants to decorate and beautify cakes or other desserts, by enriching or contrasting flavours, enhancing flavors and enhancing the appearance of a dish. It tastes just as delicious when poured into a bowl of strawberries as it is poured on a dark chocolate tart. See step 1 to learn how to make it.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 vanilla bean
- Special equipment: bain marie or team pot
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Ingredients
Step 1. Open the vanilla bean
Make a long slice down the center of the vanilla using a sharp paring knife. Be careful not to cut the whole seed. If done correctly, the vanilla bean will have an open wedge on one side, while the other side remains closed. Slices like this allow the vanilla inside the beans to come out of their shells and give the crème anglaise its flavor.
- Vanilla seeds can be found at specialty grocery stores or food supermarkets. You can also order it on the internet.
- The longer the vanilla bean, the stronger the vanilla flavor in the sauce will be. Look for vanilla beans that are 5-10 cm in size for this recipe.
- If you don't have vanilla beans, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.
- Alternatively, try the orange or lemon crème anglaise. You can simply replace the vanilla seeds with grated rind of 1 orange or lemon.
Step 2. Heat the bain marie. Fill the bottom of the bain marie with 5-7.5 cm of water and place it on the stove over medium heat. Let the water boil.
- A bain marie, also known as a team pot, is a pan that is placed on top of another pan. The pot at the bottom is used to hold the water, while the pot at the top holds the food you cook.
- The purpose of a team pan is to heat food at a low temperature. If you don't have a bain marie, fill a regular saucepan with about 5-7.5 cm of water, and place a metal bowl or smaller saucepan on top.
Step 3. Separate the egg yolk and white
Place two containers on a flat surface, one for the egg whites and the other for the yolks. Hold one hand over the bowl prepared for the egg whites and crack the egg over it. Allow the whites to work their way through the gaps in your fingers, but keep the yolks intact. Place the egg yolks in the place you have prepared for the yolks.
- Repeat this process until all the yolks are separated from the whites (a total of 6 eggs).
- You can also separate the eggs by holding the cracked egg over a bowl and repeatedly moving the yolk from one shell to the other, so that the whites fall into the bowl. Place the separated egg yolks into the second bowl.
Part 2 of 3: Mixing Crème Anglaise
Step 1. Beat the sugar and egg yolks
Place the egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of sugar in a medium bowl to mix. Beat vigorously with a wire whisk until pale yellow and fluffy. You can also beat it using an electronic mixer.
Step 2. Heat the milk with the vanilla beans
Place two cups of milk and vanilla beans in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until thoroughly heated until bubbly but not boiling. Remove from stove.
- You can tell when the milk is ready by looking at the rim of the pan. When you see steam starting to rise from the edge of the pot that comes into contact with the temperature, it's time to remove the pan from the stove.
- If you want a more creamy sauce, use 2 cups full of cream. For a less thick sauce, use only milk, or one cup milk and one cup cream.
Step 3. Add the hot milk to the egg mixture
Slowly pour the milk into the bowl of the sugar and egg mixture, continuing to beat with a wire whisk. Keep beating until the milk is evenly mixed with the sugar and egg mixture.
Step 4. Pour the sauce into the bain marie. Make sure the water in the bottom of the saucepan is boiling, and pour the eggs, sugar, and milk into the top of the bain marie (or metal bowl, if you're making your own team pot).
Step 5. Heat the sauce slowly
Continue to stir the sauce using a rubber spatula. Do not let the temperature of the sauce is too hot, because it will clot. Keep stirring until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, then remove from the heat.
Part 3 of 3: Serving Crème Anglaise
Step 1. Cool the crème anglaise
This sauce is always served cold, never hot. Pour the sauce into a glass container, and place it in the refrigerator. Serve once completely cooled. You can make the sauce the day before, and take it out of the fridge when it's ready to use.
Step 2. Serve with cake slices
This is a classic way of serving crème anglaise, as it balances the flavors of the chocolate cake and other cakes. Pour the sauce into the center of the dessert plate, so that it spreads and forms a shallow pool. Place the cake slices on top of the crme anglaise. Pour the crème anglaise, berry puree, or chocolate syrup back onto the cake to complete the look.
Step 3. Serve with sorbet. The light and creamy crme anglaise pairs perfectly with a dollop of sour sorbet such as lime, raspberry, or peach sorbet. Pour the crme anglaise into a sorbet plate, then place a spoonful of sorbet in the center of the plate. Sprinkle sprigs of mint on top of the sorbet to spice up this dish.
Step 4. Serve with fruit
If you want a light and delicious dessert, serve crème anglaise with a few pieces of fruit. Try it with strawberries for a more luxurious version of strawberry and cream. This sauce is also very suitable to be enjoyed with blackberries, cherries, or sliced mangoes.
Tips
- To make fresh vanilla ice cream, freeze the crème anglaise dough.
- Make the crème anglaise faster by substituting the bain marie for a thick saucepan. Be very careful when preparing crème anglaise without bain marie, as this sauce can break easily, or scorch when prepared in a saucepan.
