Cinnamon Crème Anglaise

 

Ahhh….Crème Anglaise (French for ‘English Cream’) tastes like it’s made in heaven (or in France, same thing). It’s just to die for and if you’re not aware of it’s existence you are truly missing out! Anglaise is simply a runny custard (real custard, made from scratch not using powder). It’s the sister to Crème Patissiere, a thicker custard used as a filing in tarts and pastries.
Anglaise only has three base ingredients so it looks easy and it is…..when you’ve made it a few times. I’m not gonna lie it can be a royal pain in the butt, it can split easily and needs your full attention, you can’t even turn away to yell at the kids, it’ll be gone! I failed at it many times when I first learnt to make it whilst on desserts section but after making it a lot I learn’t about it’s wicked ways. Don’t let me  scare you off though it’s totally worth the slightly stressful effort, turning a simple bowl of strawberries, a Christmas pudding, some apple pie or an un-iced piece of warm cake into an absolute heavenly delight. Just off the top of my head I really can’t think of anything it doesn’t go with 🙂 It is also used to make ice-cream…say what?! Yes, un-churned, only a whisk is needed and I promise I’ll make some soon, we hardly ever buy ice-cream, the kids will be beside themselves especially if I let them pick the flavours 🙂 But for today, here’s how I make Anglaise, enjoy 🙂

 

INGREDIENTS

5 egg yolks (medium-sized, I used 6’s)
1/3 cup plus1 tablespoon white sugar
2 cups full fat milk
1 cinnamon stick

 

Makes x 2 cups

 

Notes

• If I have egg whites spare, I always keep them n the fridge and make friands with them within the next two days, you can find my recipes for friands here.
• There’s no room for skinny milk here, I’ve never tried to use it for Anglaise as it needs to be creamy and full bodied.

 

 

WALKTHROUGH

Anglaise is made quickly because it can curdle within a minute so I always get prepared before I start.

So, first place the egg yolks in a medium=sized bowl and have the sugar measured out and ready to go.

You will also need a whisk, wooden spoon and a sieve out ready.

As well you need an extra bowl that the bowl containing the yolks can fit fairly snuggly into. This empty bowl will be the ice-bath, you need to third fill it with water and ice when needed. If you have no ice on hand you can a third fill it now and then place it in the freezer.

So to make the Anglaise place the milk and the cinnamon stick into a medium-sized saucepan……

……and over a medium heat bring it to the boil, around 5 minutes, but keep an eye on it and as soon as it starts rising take it off the heat.

Tip*  I always place a wooden spoon on top which stops the milk rising above (just in case I turn away to yell at the kids, haha!)

Now add the sugar to the yolks in the bowl and……

…..whisk them together until they are thoroughly combined.

Then whilst quickly whisking, pour the hot milk into the egg yolks and sugar bowl.

*The cinnamon stick should just stay on the bottom of the pot (it doesn’t matter much if it falls in though).

When it’s all mixed together pour it all back into the pot, including the cinnamon stick.

Get your bowl of iced water or cold water from the freezer out ready on the bench…..

…..and then place a clean bowl snuggly into and on top of the icy water and then place the sieve on top of that bowl….all ready to go.

Now here’s the tricky part, the part that often only comes from experience but I will do my best to make sure your Anglaise is successful. Before you continue I want to tell you that It will be ready as soon as it coats the back of your spoon. So if you run your finger through the Anglaise that’s on the spoon and the sides don’t run back together it’s ready. This may take anywhere between 1 minute and 3 minutes, mine took two but everyone’s element temperatures or gas hobs omit different heat so the back of the spoon method is the best bet. If it’s coating the back of the spoon but seems to you too runny, don’t be tempted to cook it longer as another 30 seconds is enough to curdle it and it will also thicken a lot more as it cools down.

Now place the saucepan you poured your whisked mixture into over a medium-low heat this time and using a wooden spoon stir it constantly for approx two minutes or until it coats the back of the wooden spoon.

*I would start checking after 1 minute and 30 seconds.

When you think it’s ready quickly remove it from the heat and pour it through the sieve into the bowl that is sitting on top of the icy water.

Remove the used sieve and whilst the Anglaise is still sitting over the cold water stir it with the wooden spoon for a few minutes to help it cool down quicker.

Tip*  Sometimes if it’s just slightly curdled on you, at this point you may be able to bring it back with some brisk whisking.

That’s it, I really hope if you haven’t tried it before that yours turned out beautifully because it really is lovely 🙂 I leave the cinnamon stick in until I’m ready to serve it. So now you can leave it in the bowl or pour it into a serving jug, cover it with cling wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve it cold, the colder the better.

Go here to check out the Orange flavoured Anglaise I made…..

P.S. In the summertime Anglaise is Fantastic to dip fresh strawberries into 🙂