Stovetop Crème Anglaise
This sauce is the foundation for countless desserts, but it demands your full attention at the stove. Keep the heat low to ensure the yolks thicken into a velvet texture rather than scrambling.
Control the heat to avoid grainy eggs.
Keep a bowl of ice water nearby as a safety net. If the sauce begins to look chunky, move it off the burner immediately and whisk it into the cold water to drop the temperature.
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Balloon whisk
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Wooden spoon
What goes in.
- 1 cupheavy cream
- 1 cupwhole milk
- 4large egg yolks
- 1/3 cupgranulated sugar
- 1 tspvanilla extract
Coating the Spoon
Dip a wooden spoon into the sauce and pull it out. Run your finger horizontally across the back of the spoon; if the path remains clear and the sauce does not run, it is ready.
The method.
Warm the dairy
Combine the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring it just to the point where small bubbles form at the edges—do not let it reach a rolling boil.
Temper the yolks
Whisk the yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale. Slowly pour a ladle of the warm milk into the yolks while whisking constantly. This brings the yolk temperature up gradually.
Cook the custard
Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over the lowest possible heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Focus on the bottom corners of the pan to prevent buildup.
Finish and strain
Once the sauce passes the nappe test, remove from the heat immediately. Stir in the vanilla, then pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to ensure it is perfectly smooth.
Other turns to take.
Coffee Infusion
Add two tablespoons of whole coffee beans to the milk while warming, then strain them out before tempering the yolks.
Dark Chocolate
Whisk in two ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate immediately after taking the sauce off the heat.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always use a wooden spoon rather than a metal one; it is easier to feel the thickness of the custard as it drags across the bottom of the pan.
If you accidentally overcook the sauce and see tiny bits of scrambled egg, straining it through a fine-mesh sieve can often save the texture.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce while it cools to prevent a thick skin from forming.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use low-fat milk?
You can, but the final sauce will be noticeably thinner and less rich. The fat content in cream provides the body required for a proper custard.
How long does this keep?
Kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will stay fresh for up to three days.
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