Crème Anglaise (Vanilla Sauce + Ice Cream Base)
Crème Anglaise is one of the most versatile sauces in the pastry kitchen. It is wonderful served with chocolate cake, as the sauce for floating island and as the base for lots of ice creams. I always start with a simple vanilla flavored sauce and then add flavors to it to suit my dessert.
Ingredients
- 3 cups half & half
- vanilla bean split and the seeds scraped out to be put in the half and half
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 6 large egg yolks
Instructions
- Be sure to have a bowl with a strainer ready for when your creme anglaise/Ice Cream Base is ready!
- Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk gently, set aside.
- In a medium sized sauce pan bring half & half, vanilla bean and sugar to a gentle simmer. Turn the heat down to low.
- Whisk the hot half & half into the egg yolks a little bit at a time until the yolks feel warm to the touch. You will only need to add about a cup of the hot half & half, a 1/4 cup at a time.
- Once the yolks are warm (I usually just feel the bottom of the bowl to see if it is warm to the touch) add them back to the pot of hot half & half. Using a rubber spatula stir the mixture until the custard starts to set up just slightly, about 2 minutes). When the custard reaches 175°F on an instant read thermometer or stays put when you wipe your finger across the spatula it is done.
- Immediately pour the custard through a fine mesh strainer to remove any curdled eggs (you will always have a bit of this) and the vanilla bean.
- Cover the custard with plastic wrap and immediately put in an ice bath or the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled, about an hour.