
Yield: 6 cups (1.5 liters)
Crème anglaise is one of the most delicious and versatile of the dessert sauces. Although traditionally flavored with vanilla, it can also become an adaptable medium for a variety of flavor combinations. It is excellent when served with fruit tarts and pastries that are not too sweet. It is also the base for French-style ice cream.
Traditional crème anglaise is made with a vanilla bean, sugar, milk, and egg yolks. The amounts of each can be changed to taste. The recipe that follows contains less sugar and more vanilla than older recipes, which tend to be sweeter and less extravagant with the vanilla. Acceptable crème anglaise can be made with vanilla extract, but it will never have the depth of flavor that the cream has when infused with vanilla beans. The recipe that follows uses twelve egg yolks per quart of milk, which produces a fairly rich cream. Acceptable crème anglaise can be made with as few as eight yolks per quart. Richer versions also exist, using as many as sixteen yolks per quart and replacing half of the milk with heavy cream.
2 vanilla beans
1 quart (1 liter) milk
6 ounces (175 grams) granulated sugar
12 egg yolks
1. Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and add them to the milk in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring the milk to a simmer.
2. While the milk is heating, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until the sugar dissolves and the yolks are pale yellow.
3. As the milk approaches a simmer, remove the 4 vanilla bean halves and scrape the inside of each one with a paring knife to release the tiny seeds. Return the seeds to the milk.
4. When the milk simmers, pour half of it over the egg yolk/sugar mixture, gently whisking.
5. Add the egg yolk/sugar/milk mixture to the saucepan and stir it over medium heat with a wooden spatula or spoon. Stir constantly, being careful to reach around and into the corners, where the cream is most liable to curdle.
6. Do not let the cream boil. Check the consistency of the cream by holding the spatula up sideways and making a streak along the back of the spatula with your finger. When the streak remains without the cream running down and obscuring it, the cream is ready.
7. Immediately remove the cream from the heat. Continue stirring it for 1 or 2 minutes, or the heat retained in the bottom of the saucepan may cause the crème anglaise to curdle.
8. Strain the cream through a strainer. Do not use a chinois, or the specks of vanilla will be strained out.
9. Stir the cream over a bowl of ice to cool it quickly and prevent a skin from forming.

a. Simmer the split vanilla beans in milk.

b. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale.

c. Scrape the little seeds out of the pods into the milk-and whisk half the milk into the egg yolk mixture.

d. Put the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and stir over medium heat.

e. Stir until the crème anglaise thickens and a line made on the back of the spoon with a finger stays in place.
Sauces
Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making
By James Peterson
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998
Hardback, $ 44.95
ISBN: 0-471-29275-3
Recipe reprinted by permission.
Recipes
This page created December 2001

The Global Gourmet®
Main Page
Advanced Search
Recent Searches
Kate's Global Kitchen
Kate's Books
Cookbook Profiles
Global Destinations
Holiday & Party Recipes
I Love Desserts
On Wine
Shopping
New Green Basics
Cooking with Kids
Archives
Conversions, Charts
& Substitutions
Search
About the
Global Gourmet®
Contact Info
Advertising
Feedback
Privacy Statement
Cooking for Friends
My New Orleans
Rose's Heavenly Cakes
Gourmet Today
The Portuguese Table
Chinese Cooking
Full Winners List
DamGoodSweet Desserts
New American Table
Real Cajun
Bottega Favorita
How to Roast Lamb
Baking Kids Love
Family Meals
History of Ice Cream
Seasonal Spanish Food
The Brazilian Table
Hot Fish Club
How to Bake Bread
International Cuisine
The King of Vodka
IACP Winners List
Ad Hoc At Home
Baking
Cooking of Ireland
Pasta Sfoglia
Love Soup
Argentine Grilling
Pasta Encyclopedia
Save the Deli
All Beard Nominees
Beard Winners List
Artisan Breads at Home
The Spice Kitchen
Kitchen Knife Skills
Classic Lebanese Cuisine
Fresh Food Fast
Family Dinners
Mediterranean Cooking
Thirty Minute Pasta
French Feasts
Everyday Indian
The Party Cookbook
Barcelona Cookbook
Wine Cocktails
Cooking Know-How
Vegetarian Cookbooks
Copyright © 1994-2010,
Forkmedia LLC
Become a Chef:
Best Culinary Schools
Kitchen & Home Markdowns
Grocery Special Offers
Gift Cards
Bestselling Cookbooks
Cooking Light Store
Kitchen Markdowns
Buy 3 Products, Get 4th Free
Kitchen Bonus Deals
Cookware Rebates
Bestselling Small Appliances
AmazonWireless.com cell phones and wireless plans—easy shopping without rebate hassles and FREE two-day shipping.
Global Gourmet®
Shopping
Gourmet Food, Cookbooks
Kitchen Gadgets & Gifts