HOW TO MAKE CREME ANGLAISE
Crème anglaise is French for English cream, how funny that may sound. Basically it is a custard that is made of egg yolks that are gently and carefully cooked on a low heat stove or sometimes over a water bath. Another type of custard you may have heard of is when you use whole eggs and bake them in the oven until they are just set and creamy. The point of both custard styles, whether it's Crème anglaise or other, is to make a creamy thick sauce, flowing or set, and not let the egg proteins coagulate too much. This is a crucial remark. If you overcook the eggs, that is just above 80 C/180 F, the coagulated proteins will aggregate into small lumps and the custard will completely lose its smooth creamy texture. And then you need to start another batch of Crème anglaise, which may not be so cheap in a long run, since many egg yolks are used in it. If you do see a beginning curdling occur as you make the custard, you can always try to save as much of it by immediately pouring it into a blender and mix to a smooth consistency, and then straining it. If you lucky you will get by. In a fine restaurant, as a chef, you would have to redo the procedure probably.
Crème anglaise can be used for many purposes. It can be flavored with vanilla, zests, fruit purées, or other ingredients and served along a dessert. It can be also turned into a dessert, for example a fine ice cream, or a Creme Bavarois (Bavarian cream). Crème anglaise has many uses. It is just a question of modifying its basic structure to suit your needs. And what is the basic structure of Crème anglaise?
It is made of, and that´s a standard proportion, 5 egg yolks and 500 mL/17 fl oz/2 cups of milk. For ice creams and other desserts, some of the milk is replaced by heavy cream. For mousses or bavarois, you need to throw in some gelatin. For fillings in cakes and tarts, you may want to thicken it with some cornstarch. And of course, you need to flavor Crème anglaise with the ingredient(s) you want to be a part of your dessert. A standard flavoring is vanilla bean that is cut open and infused in hot milk for a while (together with the scraped vanilla seeds), and then this milk is used to make the anglaise.
So let's get the making of Crème anglaise into our arms!
Here is a recipe that will make about 600 mL/20 fl oz. of a rich (more cream-y) Crème anglaise:
You need:
300 mL/10 fl oz. milk
200 mL/7 fl oz. cream
50 g/1.7 oz. sugar
1 vanilla bean
5-6 egg yolks
First start by heating the milk and cream with a tablespoon of sugar (to prevent over-boiling) together with the vanilla bean that you have split opened and scraped the vanilla seeds into the milk as well. Heat all this up slowly, on moderate heat, so it starts to gently boil. While you wait, whisk the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar to a creamy pale mass. When the milk is boiling, pour a third of it over the eggs in a fairly thin stream and whisk continuously, then pour in the rest of the milk in a thin stream while continuing to whisk. Now, pour the mixture into the pan again and put it on a low heat stove, stirring the custard with a wooden spoon. Now is the critical part. Don't overcook the Crème anglaise! Stir the mixture until you feel it has just slightly thickened (it will not be very thick, since there is so much liquid there!). To make sure you are right, put up your spoon and draw with a finger along its backside - the custard should leave a steady impression there (see picture above). When you've reached this point, the Crème anglaise is ready! Remove from the heat immediately and pour over into a cold bowl, and if you want to be even more perfect - strain it. Allow to cool, and stir from time to time so no skin is formed on the surface. Crème anglaise can be refrigerated for a couple of days. Just don't freeze it!!! That's how you make Crème anglaise, now have delicious fun with it!