Custard / Crème Anglaise (Cream to Egg Yolk to Sugar)

500 ml

Heavy cream (or whole milk, or 50:50 blend) — All-cream produces a very rich, thick anglaise; all-milk yields a lighter sauce with less fat cushioning the yolks against curdling — temperature control becomes more critical.

6 large (approx. 110 g)

Egg yolks — Yolks provide the thickening proteins and richness. Fewer yolks (4) → thinner, more delicate sauce; more yolks (8) → very thick, almost pudding-like.

120 g

Caster sugar (superfine sugar) — Sugar raises the coagulation temperature of the yolk proteins slightly, widening the safe cooking window; it also controls final sweetness.

1 pod or 1 tsp paste

Vanilla (bean, paste, or extract) — Split and scraped pod infused in the cream off-heat for best flavour; paste gives visible specks; extract added off-heat after cooking to preserve aroma.

Infuse vanilla in the cream over low heat until steaming (do not boil). Whisk yolks and sugar together until pale and slightly thickened (ribbon stage). Slowly temper the hot cream into the yolk mixture — ladle by ladle — whisking constantly. Return the mixture to a heavy-based saucepan over low-medium heat, stirring continuously with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, paying close attention to the bottom corners of the pan where scrambling begins first. Cook to 82–84 °C (180–183 °F) until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn across leaves a clean line. Remove immediately from heat, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a chilled bowl, and cool over an ice bath, stirring occasionally.

• Tempering is the most critical step: add hot cream to yolks in a thin, steady stream while whisking — never dump it all at once. Rapid heat causes the yolk proteins to cook in clumps before they can distribute.
• Use a thermometer every time. The safe window between nappe (82 °C) and curdled (87 °C+) is only 5 degrees. Eyes and spoon-tests are imprecise; a probe thermometer is not optional for precision.
• If the sauce begins to scramble (small lumps appear), immediately remove from heat, pour into a blender, and blend on high for 30 seconds. The sauce can often be rescued; strain immediately through a fine sieve.
• An ice bath is essential. Residual heat in the bowl and the sauce itself can continue cooking the eggs after removal from heat. Get it cold quickly.
• Crème anglaise keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days. It thickens slightly when cold; a brief gentle warm (not reboil) and a whisk restores the pourable consistency.

• Crème anglaise with whole milk only

  Replace all cream with whole milk; sauce is lighter and pours more freely; coagulation temperature drops slightly — cook to 80–82 °C and ice-bath immediately.

• Ice cream base

  Same ratio but churn while cold; cream's higher fat content prevents large ice crystals and produces scoopable texture. Often increased to 8 yolks per 500 ml for more body.

• Chocolate crème anglaise

  Whisk 80 g finely chopped dark chocolate into the hot strained sauce off-heat; the sauce thickens further as chocolate sets — serve slightly warm.

• Coffee anglaise

  Steep 30 g coarsely ground espresso beans in the cream instead of vanilla; strain before tempering. Alternatively, dissolve 15 g instant espresso in the cream.

• Boozy anglaise

  Stir 30–45 ml dark rum, Grand Marnier, or amaretto into the finished, strained sauce off-heat. Alcohol lowers the setting temperature and keeps the sauce pourable when cold.

• Crème Brûlée (Heavy Cream to Egg Yolk)

  Similar yolk-to-cream ratio but baked in a bain-marie to a set, sliceable custard rather than a flowing sauce; typically a higher cream proportion.

• Pastry Cream / Crème Pâtissière

  Adds cornstarch or flour to the same yolk-cream base, pushing the thickening mechanism from protein denaturation to starch gelatinization; produces a much thicker, piping-stable cream.

• Sabayon / Zabaglione (Egg Yolk to Sugar to Wine)

  Yolks and sugar beaten with Marsala wine over a bain-marie; same yolk-protein thickening principle but aerated, lighter, and wine-forward.

1. 1.Professional Baking — Wayne Gisslen, Wiley
2. 2.Larousse Gastronomique — Prosper Montagné (ed. Hamlyn)
3. 3.The French Laundry Cookbook — Thomas Keller, Artisan
4. 4.On Food and Cooking — Harold McGee, Scribner
5. 5.Patisserie — William Curley and Suzue Curley, Jacqui Small

Confidence: high