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Crème Anglaise

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Photo by Chelsea Kyle

You can make this sauce up to 2 days ahead; press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Whisk together the yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until pale, about 4 minutes.

    Step 2

    Pour the milk and cream into a medium saucepan. Scrape in the vanilla seeds; add the bean. Heat over medium heat until just about to simmer. Reduce heat to low; whisk 1/3 cup into the egg yolk mixture. Return to the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes.

    Step 3

    Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a stainless-steel bowl set in a large ice-water bath. Discard the solids. Chill until cold, stirring occasionally.

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Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group. Buy the full book from Amazon.
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