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Smoking Chimney

Recipes from a working kitchen · Cape Town

Creme Anglaise

By Marna Ross Updated 12 August 2026 4.27 from 11 ratings French
Crème Anglaise, the French name for English Cream is a light pouring custard used with various dessert types. You can almost serve Crème anglaise with any lovely dessert. With warm malva pudding or as decoration around a lovely Pavlova. This crème anglaise recipe is an “oldie” in my recipe journal and I have used it countless times through out my entire career. At first, I found the step where you must get it exactly to cover the back of a spoon, very hard to master, but with time I have mastered it. It just become easier and easier the more you do it. This is a lovely pouring custard to use on your dessert table if you serve a buffet. You can serve it in a lovely see through modern jug which can blend in and compliment the table as well. With this recipe, you can do the same as with the Crème Pâtissière recipe. You can cut the vanilla pod/bean lengthwise, scrape the seeds and then use the rest of the vanilla bean to flavour the milk and cream mix by adding it to it and discarding it later. The vanilla pod/bean seeds also give a lovely visual affect, another good reason to do it as it will show you have put in some extra effort!
A smooth, creamy yellow pourable creme anglaise vanilla custard sauce.
Prep 15 min
Cook 15 min
Total 30 min
Serves 10

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 2 vanilla pods/bean’s seeds
  • 5 ml vanilla essence

Method

  1. Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over low heat

  2. Add the vanilla bean/pod to it once you have cut it length ways and scraped the seeds out

  3. Add the scraped vanilla seeds in the milk mixture too

  4. Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until light and fluffy in a stainless steel bowl

  5. TIP: Use a large bowl as the milk will later be transferred into the bowl as well

  6. Set up a “Bain Marie” by filling up a saucepan to one third full

  7. Place it on the gas flame and let it begin to warm

  8. Place the bowl with the beaten egg yolk and caster sugar on the sauce pan with hot water and add the hot milk (the vanilla pod/bean now discarded) and cream to it by whisking well to mix it

  9. Keep on whisking the mixture on low heat until it thickens

  10. Once it is ready you will have to test it the following way: Pour some of the mixture on the back of a teaspoon- length ways, move your finger from upwards all the way downwards through the creme anglais e

  11. If the line remains visible and is not pouring of the sides, it is cooked

  12. If not, you need to cook it a bit longer

  13. Last you can add the vanilla essence

  14. Let cool and serve

  15. ANOTHER TIP: It is not a pouring custard that needs to be served hot

  16. If you heat it up, it will curdle(scramble)

  17. SERVE ONLY COLD

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