This creamy, rich and elegant vanilla custard sauce is very versatile, absolutely delicious added on cake, pie, fresh fruit…in another words, can be added to anything you like.
Have you noticed that most of the pleasures in life are usually the simplest…as is the case of this crème anglaise.
– Have you ever had crème anglaise?
Well, I had the opportunity to try it a few times in French restaurants. I loved the richness and the creaminess of the sauce. I remember the first time I had the crème anglaise…it was served in a dessert called floating island dessert…I can assure you if I was not in a public place I would have licked the bowl clean…
– Is there any trick for such an elegant sauce?
No, it is mainly a thin custard with only a few ingredients. And the trick, if you want to call a trick is to avoid the sauce to curdle…by tempering the egg yolks.
– How should I serve this crème anglaise?
This sauce is so versatile…you can pour it over all kind of dessert, cakes, pies, tarts, souffles, fresh fruits (specially berries), the options are endless.
– Can I add other ingredients besides vanilla?
Absolutely, you can add rum, bourbon, brandy and liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, Amaretto, Cointreau or orange zest, lemon zest, mint, coffee…again, endless choices.
– Did I convinced you to give this crème anglaise a try?
This recipe was mainly adapted from Food Wishes…if you like a lighter version you can substitute the heavy cream with milk or mix milk with heavy cream whichever ratio you like.
Here is the recipe for what I did…
Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
In a medium bowl whisk egg yolks, sugar and Grand Marnier until smooth paste.
In a small pan heat the heavy cream until almost boiling point, until small bubbles begin to appear around the edges of the pan. Carefully temper the yolks by pouring slowly the hot heavy cream to the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly.
Transfer the custard back to the pan and under low heat stir constantly until the custard thicken.
If necessary, pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove any clumps.
Place the custard into a bowl and let it cool.
Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Good for up to one week in the refrigerator.
In England they just call it custard, I usually call it custard sauce, but by whatever name, it is wonderful and I put it on everything! Love your photos!
wow looks so good, love custard something I always grew up with and French is awesome too.
I haven’t had Creme Anglaise in so long! What a perfect topping for fresh, spring berries, Juliana.
Mmmm! I love creme anglaise Juliana–it really can add so much to a dessert!
Need to whip up a batch of this creme anglaise this weekend! Now 2 great reasons to buy some Grand Marnier!
I totally know what a floating island dessert, so good. And yes crême anglaise is such an amazing way to improve just about any sweet dessert. Have a great week.
I adore creme anglaise, too! I think I made it for floating islands—which I should make again as you’ve made me very hungry just thinking about them. Have a great week, my friend!
I havne’t had this in years, and probably haven’t made it in a decade or maybe two. Love it! Thanks for reminding me how good it is. 🙂
I adore creme anglasie too, esp. with the fresh berries!
Dear Juliana, could not agree with you more – crème anglaise is so good – with all kinds of fruits and puddings…and it is certainly worth one’s while to take the time and learn how to properly make it!