A creamy, delicious, and easy to make vanilla creme anglaise (or pouring custard)! It pairs well with so many types of dessert too. Versatile recipe that is easy to adapt for different variations. EASY - This is a very simple recipe. But you do need to be patient with the cooking process and time to prevent curdling. For beginners, you can also add a little cornstarch to make the recipe more failproof and easier to prevent curdling.US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.
240mLheavy cream35% fat, 1 cup, see recipe notes for substitutions
4egg yolksfrom large eggs. You can also use 5 egg yolks for additional thickness and richness.
75gsugaruse 60 g for a less sweet version
¼tspsea salt
1tbspvanilla extractor vanilla bean paste, see recipe notes for vanilla bean instructions
10gcornstarch 1 tbsp (optional)
30mLbourbon2 tbsp. (optional), please see recipe notes if using bourbon
Instructions
Prepare the milk and egg mixture
In a saucepan, combine the milk and heavy cream. Heat over medium / medium-high heat until the milk starts to steam. Make sure to regularly stir to prevent the milk from burning.
240 mL full-fat milk, 240 mL heavy cream
In a medium bowl or wide jug, place the egg yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla, bourbon (if using), and cornstarch (if using only). Whisk very well until the egg yolks become very smooth and start to turn pale in color. There should be NO egg yolk bits visible at this stage.
4 egg yolks, 75 g sugar, ¼ tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 10 g cornstarch, 30 mL bourbon
Once heated, remove the milk from the stove and use it to temper the egg mixture.
Tempering the egg mixture
Place the bowl with the egg mixture on a non-slip surface (i.e. on a rubber pad or wet cloth napkin placed on the kitchen counter).
Carefully pour the hot milk mixture in a thin stream into the egg mixture, making sure to constantly whisk the egg mix as the milk is poured in.
When about half of the milk is added to the egg mix, the egg mixture should be warm enough. Whisk it once more to make sure all the egg yolks are mixed in well (while scraping the sides of the bowl).
Pour this egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Whisk well to combine.
Cooking the custard
Lower the heat to a medium low heat, and return the saucepan to the stove. If the custard is cooking too fast (forming lumps), then lower the heat further. See notes.
Cook the custard while constantly stirring with a rubber spatula until the custard thickens. This can take anywhere between 4 - 10 minutes, depending on the stove, size of the saucepan, and saucepan material. Make sure to scrape the edges, sides, and bottom of the pan as you stir to evenly heat the custard.
The custard will start to thicken as it reaches the correct temperature. The custard is done when it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon with a film of custard. When you draw a line through this custard film with your fingertip, the line will remain and the custard will not move in to fill that space (please see pictures in the post for reference). The temperature of the custard should be 180 - 185°F (82 - 85°C).
Once the custard is cooked, remove it from the heat. Pass it through a sieve into a bowl or container and let it cool down to the desired temperature.
You will need to gently whisk or stir the custard before you use it, since it will form a skin on top after a while.
The custard can be served warm or at room temperature. You can also serve it chilled if you prefer.
Notes
Milk substitutions
I do not recommend using 0% fat to make this recipe.A high fat content will produce a better tasting custard. However, if you do not have cream, you can substitute the heavy cream with full fat milk.You can also use half and half (10% fat) instead of milk and cream.To make this dairy free, you can use plant-based milk. I recommend using a barista milk version (my favorite is barista oat milk), because it has a better texture and higher fat content.The bourbon is completely optional. However, if you're using bourbon, remove the same amount of milk from the recipe, which is 2 tbsp in this recipe.
Adding cornstarch
As per the post, the cornstarch is optional. Traditionally you do not need to add cornstarch and gently cooking will prevent curdling.However if you are a beginner, and are worried about egg curdling, add the cornstarch. I do not recommend using more than 1 tbsp cornstarch because adding more will give the custard a starchy taste (since the custard is not “boiled”).
To make a vegan version
Instead of eggs, you can use cornstarch as a thickener. For this recipe, you will need to use about 2 tbsp of cornstarch per 2 cups of liquid. The milk will also need to be heated until it starts to boil, as the cornstarch only fully activates once the liquid is boiled.
Using vanilla beans
If you're using vanilla beans instead of extract, split the vanilla bean pod in half length-wise. Use a blunt, flat side of a knife to scrape out all the “seeds” or caviar of the vanilla bean. This will look like a black paste.Add this to the milk mixture and whisk it very well to spread the vanilla in the milk. This milk mixture can now be heated according to the recipe, and the rest of the recipe can be followed as is.The remaining vanilla bean pod (without the seeds) can be used to make vanilla sugar.
Note on cooking the custard
It is important to control the heat of the stove. If the stove is too hot, then you will need to lower the heat and/or take the pot off the stove. There is a balance of heating the custard on the stove and off the stove to avoid overheating too quickly.
Storage instructions
Vanilla creme anglaise is so easy to make, so I recommend making it on the same day that you want to serve it. It tastes best when freshly made. However, you can store it for later if you need to, but there will be some textural changes. For refrigeration, you will need to store the custard in a clean and dry air-tight container. It should last 2 - 3 days in the fridge.