Crème Anglaise
I promised lots of people who commented via facebook and email that I'd offer up that almond cake recipe I talked about this past weekend. And I will. But because it's a cake without a frosting, this happens to be the first step.
Which I can't BELIEVE is missing from this blog. Good grief, no crème anglaise. Are you kidding me?
It's my all-time favorite beverage . . . er, dessert sauce, I mean.
It's rich, creamy, delicious: melted ice cream for the plate. Best of all you can make it ahead. Here's how to whip up 3 cups of the stuff, a whole bowl of it, enough to put under slices of that almond cake, with some left over for. . . . Well, you use your imagination.
First, heat 2 2/3 cups milk (and yes, you can even use fat-free) and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a medium saucepan set over medium heat until tiny bubbles fizz around the pan's inner edge. Do not let the milk bubble, simmer, or boil. Drop the heat way down so that the milk stays at this temperature while you beat the egg yolks.
Beat 6 large egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. You'll know you've got fresh eggs on hand if the yolks are perky as all get-out, sitting up proud in the bowl.
Add 3/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the mixture is thick and pale yellow, until a rubber spatula dipped into the mixture will have long, thick streamers of custardy thick egginess run off it and back into the bowl, about 5 minutes. Don't skimp. Keep beating!
Beat about half the warmed milk into the egg yolk mixture, dribbling it in in a slow, steady stream. Then beat this combined mixture into the remaining milk in the saucepan.
Set the saucepan over very low heat and stir until the mixture thickens a bit, until it can coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 minutes. In other words, when you dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and run your finger across the back of the spoon, the line you make will maintain its borders for a bit, even when you tilt the spoon this way and that.
Remove the pan from the heat and strain the mixture into a medium bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. This last might seem like a fussy step but even at very low heat and with constant stirring, you often end up with inadvertent bits of scrambled egg in the mix, because there's no flour or corn starch to protect the rather delicate proteins. Straining the mixture will take care of any problems.
Cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
Mark Scarbrough | Posted on Monday, April 19, 2010 at 12:27PM | in Desserts, Fabulously Empty Calories cream, crème anglaise, dessert, pure decadence, sauce
Reader Comments (4)
Fat free milk!!!!!! Please, please tell all your readers to use real milk. Don't dare make crème anglaise with anything else when I come to visit.
Jennifer, my darling, some people are dairy-fat intolerant. Some may also lactose intolerant--but that nothing to do with dairy fats. But for those with dairy fat issues--and we had one at our table just last week--a fat-free version is a lovely way to have crème anglaise and, well, still eat it, too. (This written as I enjoy my "real" yogurt on my granola this morning.) "Can use" is a long way from "must use" or "should use."
M.
it's one of my faves, too. can't wait for the almond cake!
Okay, okay you did say " can use" and I know you make it with full fat milk when there are no allergies at the table. I guess I don't understand fat free milk. Does it have any taste? Probably its only good use is in your crème anglaise.
Glad to learn you like crème anglaise as a beverage too.
J