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Crème Anglaise
Crème anglaise can be paired with many desserts and pudding and it’s a wonderful partner to our rich and fruity Christmas puddings. It requires only 4 ingredients and takes just 15 minutes to make.
Ingredients
Ingredients (makes approx. 500ml)
- 375 ml Milk full fat
- 4 Egg yolks from large eggs
- 30 g Caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a pan and heat gently. Do not let it boil.
- Meanwhile put the egg yolks and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk with electric beaters for 2-3 minutes until pale and beginning to thicken.
- Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
- Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Stir in the vanilla bean paste.
- Optional: strain the sauce through a fine meshed sieve to ensure that the sauce is smooth.
Notes
Serving suggestions
This classic crème anglaise is the perfect partner to Christmas pudding, mince pies and many other desserts that require a warm, runny, vanilla-infused sauce. It can even be used on apple crumble.
Expert Tips
• Don’t forget to stir the sauce constantly as it cooks to ensure it stays silky smooth.
• Similarly, do not cook the sauce for too long. If the temperature gets above 79C there is a chance it will split (use a digital food thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature).
• If your sauce does split, use a stick blender to help salvage it.
• Do not use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Full-fat milk is necessary to create a rich and sumptuous sauce.
• To make an even more luxurious and thicker sauce swap half of the milk for double cream.
• Add in a splash of your favourite liqueur to kick up the flavours. Grand Marnier, Amaretto and Baileys are all great additions. As a guide 1-2 tablespoons should suffice (adjust to your taste). Remember that adding the extra liquid will thin the sauce slightly.
• Crème anglaise is not a thick sauce. It’s much runnier than custard. You can always add in 1 teaspoon of cornflour to thicken it if you do intend to add alcohol (blend it into the egg and sugar mixture).
• This sauce can be made up to 48-hours in advance. Once it has cooked transfer it to a bowl, cover the top directly with food wrap (to stop a skin forming), allow to cool to room temperature, then cover the top of the bowl too and store in the fridge. To reheat it, simply pour the sauce back into a pan and heat gently, stirring constantly.
View our Christmas Pudding range
Expert Tips
• Don’t forget to stir the sauce constantly as it cooks to ensure it stays silky smooth.
• Similarly, do not cook the sauce for too long. If the temperature gets above 79C there is a chance it will split (use a digital food thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature).
• If your sauce does split, use a stick blender to help salvage it.
• Do not use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Full-fat milk is necessary to create a rich and sumptuous sauce.
• To make an even more luxurious and thicker sauce swap half of the milk for double cream.
• Add in a splash of your favourite liqueur to kick up the flavours. Grand Marnier, Amaretto and Baileys are all great additions. As a guide 1-2 tablespoons should suffice (adjust to your taste). Remember that adding the extra liquid will thin the sauce slightly.
• Crème anglaise is not a thick sauce. It’s much runnier than custard. You can always add in 1 teaspoon of cornflour to thicken it if you do intend to add alcohol (blend it into the egg and sugar mixture).
• This sauce can be made up to 48-hours in advance. Once it has cooked transfer it to a bowl, cover the top directly with food wrap (to stop a skin forming), allow to cool to room temperature, then cover the top of the bowl too and store in the fridge. To reheat it, simply pour the sauce back into a pan and heat gently, stirring constantly.
View our Christmas Pudding range