Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (2024)

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Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (1)

Super simple creme Anglaise, is just a fancy pants French name for English cream, or custard. It is ridiculously easy to make, and we can just about guarantee you’ll never buy store bought custard ever again with its stabilisers, and fake colouring.

We love a recipe that dispenses with certain steps (and washing up), and still delivers big time on flavour.

The recipe comes from Chef John, from Food Wishes who pared back the recipe, and dispenses with the step of tempering the eggs, and pouring the mixture back into the pan, then stirring over low heat for 8-10 minutes. Gone!

Do you want to make the apple cake above?

The delicious fresh apple crumble cake pictured above is fantastic served with this easy super simple creme anglaise. Click on the link here forFresh Apple Crumble Cake

Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (2)

making super simple creme anglaise

Making this easy, super simple creme anglaise couldn’t be easier.

Basically you throw your cream, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla into a heavy based saucepan and turn the heat onto low-medium. You can crank the heat up to medium if you’re feeling a little impatient (and confident), as it does take a while to come to temperature.

  • Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (3)
  • Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (4)

Give it all a good whisk, and keep whisking, and watch for the first sign of small bubbles appearing onto the surface of the sauce.

Again, give it all a good whisk, turn the heat off and allow the finished creme Anglaise to cool.

Place a piece of cling wrap over the top of the sauce to stop a ‘skin’ forming’, and refrigerate.

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The finished sauce thickens as it cools, and is more ‘dollopable’, than pouring consistency. If you would like to pour the creme anglaise when serving, simply heat it gently and the sauce will thin out to a pouring consistency. Too easy!

Watch Points

It’s all about the egg yolks. Cook on too low the custard won’t thicken, cooked on too higher heat and the custard will curdle.

What to do if you overheat the custard and lumps form

When custards such as creme anglaise are heated, they turn thick and creamy as milk and egg proteins unfurl and bond with each other. However, if they are overheated, too many bonds form and the proteins clump together.

Rescuing a lumpy custard is easy using a stick blender. Simply give the custard a quick blitz using the stick blender (20-30 seconds) and the lumps break down to a smooth custard again.

Vanilla Bean and Vanilla Bean Paste

For this recipe we used vanilla bean paste, and the result was fantastic. Obviously you can use a whole vanilla bean, simply split the vanilla bean lengthways and using a small sharp knife scrape the seeds from the pod and add to the custard base.

Adding flavour variations to creme anglaise is easy.

  • chocolate – add finely chopped chocolate to the custard as soon as you remove it from the heat and whisk till chocolate has melted
  • coffee – add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of coffee powder (depending on how strong you want the coffee flavour) to the mixture when you remove it from the heat
  • orange – add 1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier or Cointreau, along with 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest when custard is removed from the heat
  • hazelnut – add 1 tablespoon of Frangelico liqueur to the mixture when you remove the custard from the heat
  • liqueurs: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Amaretto, Cointreau, Armagnac, brandy, dark rum, or bourbon to the basic recipe after custard has been removed from the heat

Watch how to make Super Simple Creme Anglaise

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Scroll to the bottom for the Super Simple Creme Anglaise recipe

Check out some recipes to serve Super Simple Creme Anglaise sauce with (funnily enough, they’re all apple desserts, that’s because apples and custard are a perfect marriage!)

Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (6)

click on the link for the recipe ….. Sicilian Apple Cake

Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (7)

click on the link for the recipe ….. Fresh Apple Crumble Cake

Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (8)

click on the link for the recipe ….. French Apple Cake

Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (9)

click on the ink for the recipe ….. Apple Blueberry Cake with Crumble and Almonds

Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (10)

click on the link for the recipe ….. Brown Butter Apple Cake

What’s your go-to recipe for creme Anglaise?

We would love to hear from you in the comments below when you make this Super Simple Creme Anglaise recipe.

Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (11)

Yield: 1 cup

Super Simple Creme Anglaise

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Creme anglaise is made in minutes, and is very easy to make. The main watch point is to not allow the custard to boil. A little patience is required while whisking, but only for 3-4 minutes.

Make different flavoured Creme Anglaise - see notes above

Ingredients

  • 1 cup thickened (heavy cream)
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract (or vanilla extract)

Instructions

  • combine cream, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks in a small heavy based saucepan
  • on low-medium heat whisk ingredients together and continue whisking (3-4 minutes) till custard has small bubbles on the surface (not boiling)
  • immediately remove from heat and pour into a container and allow to cool
  • place a piece of cling film over the surface of the custard (this stops a 'skin' forming)
  • refrigerate till ready to use
  • custard can be very gently reheated to serve warm
  • enjoy!

Notes

  • custard will keep refrigerated for 3-4 days

Nutrition Information

Amount Per Serving Calories 0Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 0mgCarbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 0g

Related Recipes

  • Apple Blueberry Crumble Cake

  • French Apple Cake - Easy

  • Brown Butter Apple Cake

  • Sicilian Apple Cake| Italian Apple Cake

Super Simple Creme Anglaise - Recipe Winners (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between crème anglaise and custard? ›

The methodology and most of the ingredients are the same, except pastry cream incorporates flour or cornstarch and therefore needs to be boiled. This results in a much, much thicker custard. Crème anglaise on the other hand, is thickened only with egg yolks resulting in a thinner, silkier, more pourable sauce.

What is the thickening agent for crème anglaise? ›

Crème Anglaise
  1. Using egg yolk as its base and thickening agent, and cream as its liquid.
  2. Can be used to make ice cream and crème pâtissière.

Is melted Vanilla ice cream the same as crème anglaise? ›

In her cookbook, "Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook," Garten revealed that she lets ice cream melt to use it as a dessert sauce. Garten wrote, "Vanilla ice cream is essentially crème anglaise that's been frozen. I reverse the process and end up with crème anglaise!"

Why is my crème anglaise not thick enough? ›

Why won't my crème anglaise thicken? If you're wondering why your crème anglaise is too liquid or how to thicken it, check its temperature. If you've started cooking at too low a temperature, your cream probably hasn't got hot enough, but you can still fix it.

What do the French call crème anglaise? ›

Crème anglaise (French: [kʁɛm ɑ̃glɛz]; French for 'English cream'), custard sauce, pouring custard, or simply custard is a light, sweetened pouring custard used as a dessert cream or sauce.

Can you buy ready made crème anglaise? ›

Custom Culinary® Ready-To-Use Frozen Crème Anglaise Sauce.

How long does it take crème anglaise to thicken? ›

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to prevent egg yolks from curdling, until mixture registers 175ºF (79.5ºC) on an instant-read thermometer and thickens slightly so that it coats the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes.

How do you fix runny crème anglaise? ›

The first option is to mix two tablespoons of flour with four tablespoons of cold water for every cup of custard you've made. Mix the flour into the water well, then whisk it into your custard mixture as it cooks on the stove. You can follow the same steps with cornstarch instead of flour if you prefer as well.

How long does crème anglaise take to thicken? ›

Stir over low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Strain sauce into bowl. Cover and chill.

What are other names for crème anglaise? ›

Crème anglaise has many names: English cream, English custard, pouring custard, sauce à la anglaise, vanilla sauce -to name a few. Pastry chefs simply call it “anglaise”.

What is the French version of ice cream? ›

The most common word for French ice cream is “glace.” But you'll also see “crème glacée,” “glace fermière,” “glace artisanale ” (artisanal ice cream), “glace végétale” (vegan ice cream), and sorbet or “sorbet végétal”.

Is vanilla custard the same as Bavarian cream? ›

Vanilla Bavarian Cream: Vanilla pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. A more flavorful and delectable cream filling as opposed to plain whipped cream. Vanilla Custard: A mixture of milk, egg yolks, and sugar cooked to a pudding consistency; also called pastry cream.

Why does my crème anglaise taste eggy? ›

But when you overcook a custard, suddenly the connection is very, very clear. A nasty eggy taste takes up residence and won't go away. That's likely the result of heat breaking down the protein components cysteine and methionine to release sulphur, says Crosby.

What does it mean when crème anglaise splits? ›

When custards such as crème anglaise are heated, they turn thick and creamy as milk and egg proteins unfurl and bond with each other. However, if they are overheated, too many bonds form and the proteins clump.

Why is my crème anglaise foamy? ›

The incorporated air from beating the yolks and sugar will make my custard very foamy at the top, which messes up the consistency of the sauce. Well, the obvious solution is just to not beat the eggs and sugar together of course! Just add the yolks and sugar directly to the milk and heat it up!

Why is custard called crème anglaise? ›

Despite its French moniker, Crème Anglaise is named as a nod to its English roots. It is essentially a pourable version of the custard that originated in medieval England, known for its slightly sweetened, egg-enriched milky concoction.

What are the 3 types of custard? ›

There are three types of custard: baked, stirred, and frozen. Baked custards include bread pudding, flan, and cheesecake, and are prepared by baking in an oven or water bath. Boiled Custards include beverages like eggnog. Puddings, creme anglaise (krem on-GLAYZ), and pastry cream are some examples of stirred custards.

What do Americans call custard? ›

The US equivalent of custard is custard. We also have pudding which is thicker and more set than custard usually with flour or cornstarch. We do not refer to the dessert course of a meal as pudding. Custard has no cornstarch or flour and is often served as a sauce over berries or poundcake.

Are crème anglaise and baked custard made of basically the same ingredients? ›

Creme anglaise and baked custard are made of basically the same ingredients, but the cooking methods are different. When scalded milk is added to egg yolks it should be added all at once. Blanc mange should not be heated to more then 185F during cooking.

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