This silky, smooth creme anglaise recipe uses just 4 ingredients and is the perfect accompaniment for a wide variety of desserts.
This delicious classic sauce is super easy to make with our foolproof recipe, and the fresh vanilla adds an extra special touch that will transform your everyday desserts into something truly divine!
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Creme Anglaise is an incredibly rich and creamy custard sauce with a subtle vanilla flavor. It is widely used to top desserts such as cakes, fruit tarts, and puddings or as a luxurious accompaniment for fresh fruit.
With only four key ingredients - milk, vanilla bean, egg yolks, and sugar - this classic vanilla custard sauce is surprisingly simple to make. With our easy method, the sweet sauce will have a smooth and velvety finish with a delicious creamy texture.
It tastes amazing whether eaten hot or cold and stores well. The key to making this creme anglaise is to be patient and not rush it. It takes around 30 minutes to prepare the sauce to achieve that silky smooth velvety finish.
If you are looking for an easy yet impressive dessert accompaniment, this creme anglaise is the perfect recipe. It can be used to add a touch of sophistication to your favorite desserts, whether you are serving it at a dinner party or just enjoying it in the comfort of your own home. This foolproof recipe will have you impressing with ease!
🍽 Key Ingredients
With only 4 pantry ingredients, you can make a delicious creme anglaise sauce that you'll absolutely love.
Milk - The milk for this recipe should be full-fat for an indulgent, creamy texture.
Vanilla bean - A vanilla bean will add a subtle flavor that is far superior to any store-bought extract.
Egg yolk - This recipe requires 6 egg yolks and not the egg white to give the sauce that signature light yellow color, rich and creamy flavor, and thicken the sauce.
Sugar - A cup of sugar is used to sweeten the custard.
Substitutions
Vanilla bean
You can substitute the vanilla bean for 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Milk
As a substitute for whole milk, you could use half and half or use 2 cups of regular milk with 2 cups of heavy cream. For a dairy-free version, use almond, oat, or soy milk.
🔪 How to make
This creme anglaise recipe is incredibly easy to make and doesn't require many ingredients. With our foolproof method, you'll have this luxurious custard sauce ready in just 30 minutes!
Preparations
- Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, cut the vanilla bean lengthwise, and scrape the seeds into the milk.
- Bring the pan to nearly boiling, stirring constantly.
Cooking instructions
Step 1
Set a larger pan half full of water over medium heat until it starts to boil, then place a large bowl over the pan to make a bain marie, making sure the bowl sits on top of the pan without touching the boiling water.
Step 2
In a separate medium bowl, beat the large egg yolks together with the sugar until light and creamy, about 5 minutes.
Tip: Slowly pour the hot milk mixture bit by bit into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, so the eggs don't cook. The mixture should be foamy and smooth.
Step 3
Pour this mixture into the large bowl over the boiling water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the foam disappears and the English cream sauce begins to stick to the spoon.
Step 4
Remove the crème anglaise from the heat and pour it into a jug ready for serving or into an airtight container to cool.
Step 5
Serve over bread pudding.
💭 Cooking tips
Chill the sauce
To give it a more luxurious texture, chill the sauce in an ice bath for about 15 minutes until it cools down.
Sieve the hot cream mixture
Once the custard is cooked, pour it into a sieve to remove any lumps and give it a velvety texture.
📖 Recipe Variations
Once you have mastered this simple, 4-ingredient creme anglaise recipe, why not change up the flavors with these delicious variations:
Coffee flavored crème anglaise
Give your sauce a hint of coffee by infusing the hot milk mixture with a tablespoon of ground coffee. Leave it for 15 minutes before pouring it through a sieve, then continue from step 3.
Lemon flavored crème anglaise
For a zesty variation, add the zest of 1 lemon to the milk and vanilla.
Chocolate flavored crème anglaise
Add ½ cup of high-quality cocoa powder to the milk and vanilla beans and bring it to a boil. Once the milk is hot and the cocoa powder has dissolved, pour it into the egg yolk mixture bit by bit, and continue to cook until thickened.
🥗 What to serve with
Creme anglaise is the perfect accompaniment to a wide range of sweet treats. Here are just a few ideas for what you can serve it with:
Bread pudding
Freshly baked puddings are a match made in heaven with a rich and creamy creme anglaise. Simply pour it over the warm dessert for an indulgent finish.
Pies
From apple pie or apple crisp to Lemon pudding cake and Bourbon maple pecan pie with whipped cream, any pie is enhanced with a generous drizzle of creme anglaise.
French toast
A splash of creme anglaise turns this classic breakfast into an extra-special treat. Try our easy and delicious French toast casserole or Brioche French toast recipes to get you started.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between crème anglaise and custard?
Creme anglaise is a French custard sauce made with egg yolks, milk, sugar, and vanilla. It has a thinner consistency than custard and is usually served as a sauce. English custard, on the other hand, is thicker in consistency and uses corn starch.
How to prevent curdling?
Curdling is caused by cooking the custard at too high a temperature. To prevent it, make sure to cook the custard over low heat, stirring constantly. You can also use a double boiler or bain marie like in this recipe to keep the temperature low and even.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ reheating
This delicious creme anglaise sauce is so good fresh, but it is perfect for storing and reheating if you have leftovers, and it can be enjoyed cold.
Fridge - Crème anglaise can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer - You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. To defrost, simply move it to the fridge overnight, blend it, and reheat gently over a double boiler with a fresh egg yolk to bring the mixture back to its silky consistency. The mixture will separate upon thawing, but once you blend it, whisk in a fresh egg yolk, and heat it again, it'll be smooth!
Reheating - Reheat the sauce over a double boiler or bain-marie, whisking constantly until it reaches its desired consistency.
Do not reheat in the microwave, as this may cause the eggs to curdle.
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👪 Serving size
This recipe makes 4-6 servings. The exact amount will depend on how generously you serve the sauce. For a light drizzle, you should be able to get 8-10 servings out of this recipe. You can also make a double batch and refrigerate or freeze it.
This delightful French custard sauce is sure to add a unique gourmet flair to your meals, no matter the occasion. Whether you serve it with a classic dessert or use it as an accompaniment to breakfast, the creamy texture and delicate flavor of crème anglaise are sure to be a hit! Enjoy!
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📋 Recipe
Creme Anglaise
Ingredients
- 4½ cups Milk - 1 liter
- 1 Vanilla bean
- 6 Yolks eggs
- 1 cup Sugar
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat, cut the vanilla bean lengthwise, and scrape the seeds into the milk.
- Bring the pan to nearly boiling, stirring constantly.
- Set a larger pan half full of water over medium heat until it starts to boil, then place a large bowl over the pan to make a bain marie, making sure the bowl sits on top of the pan without touching the boiling water.
- In a separate medium bowl, beat the large egg yolks together with the sugar until light and creamy, about 5 minutes.
- Slowly pour the hot milk mixture bit by bit into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, so the eggs don't cook. The mixture should be foamy and smooth.
- Pour this mixture into the large bowl over the boiling water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the foam disappears and the English cream sauce begins to stick to the spoon.
- Remove the crème anglaise from the heat and pour it into a jug ready for serving or into an airtight container to cool.
- Serve over bread pudding.
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