Pouring Custard (Crème Anglaise)
A simple recipe for pouring custard, or crème anglaise, made with cream, egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar. Pour over crumbles, crisps, and more.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Medium sized pot
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk *
- 6 egg yolks, about 120 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup white sugar
Instructions
- Add the cream, egg yolks, vanilla, and sugar in a medium pot and whisk together to combine.
- Place the pot over low-medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard has thickened. Don't let it come to a rapid boil.
- The custard is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and you can trace a line in it. Serve warm as pouring custard or let it cool to room temperature before refrigerating if you prefer a firmer custard.
- Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
* We usually make this with half-and-half, which is 10% fat, but know that this might be hard to find outside of Canada. If you can get it, use 2 cups 10% cream instead of 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream.
Storage: keep the fully cooled custard in a sealed container for up to 4 days in the fridge. It will thicken as it chills and you may want to bring it back up to room temperature before serving if it's too thick to pour. If it splits at all, gently reheat by placing the bowl into another bowl filled with warm (not hot) water and whisk vigorously until smooth.
If you don't plan to serve the custard immediately, pour it into a shallow dish that has a lid. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the surface of the custard and gently press out any air bubbles, folding the edges as needed. It will prevent the custard from forming a skin (a layer of slightly dry custard on top).
Two main factors come into play when making custard, and both are related to heat. First, custard should cook over low-medium heat. If the custard shows any sign of sticking to the bottom of the pot, reduce the heat immediately. Second, use a thermometer. Using a thermometer is a surefire way to achieve accuracy and consistency. Custards begin to set around 160ºF (71ºC) and are generally considered done at 170º-172ºF (77º-78ºF).
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 91mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 688IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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