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!
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.
Recipe Notes
Chill the sauceTo 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 mixtureOnce the custard is cooked, pour it into a sieve to remove any lumps and give it a velvety texture.