baking

Classic Vanilla Custard

Name: Classic Vanilla Custard
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 cups whole milk; 1 cup heavy cream; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; Pinch of kosher salt; Freshly grated nutmeg

Crème anglaise is a pourable custard sauce cooked to exactly 82 degrees Celsius. Below that, the egg yolk proteins have not coagulated enough to thicken the sauce. Above it, they overcoagulate and the sauce breaks into sweet scrambled eggs in cream. The yolks are whisked with sugar until pale before any cream touches them; the sugar disrupts protein structure and gives a slightly wider margin before curdling. Hot cream is added to the yolks slowly, a process called tempering, which raises the yolk temperature gradually rather than shocking the proteins into seizing. The combined mixture goes back into the pot over low heat and is stirred constantly until it thickens enough to coat a spoon and hold a line drawn through the coating. An instant-read thermometer is more reliable than the spoon test. The sauce strains through a fine mesh sieve to remove any threads of yolk that set too fast. Egg yolks are doing all the work: thickening, enriching, and giving the sauce its characteristic golden color.

Prep: 10 min Cook: 45 min Total: 55 min Serves: 6

Ingredients

4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place six 6-ounce ramekins in a deep baking dish.
Heat milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming — small bubbles will form around the edges. Do not boil.
In a bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla until combined. Do not overmix — you do not want foam.
Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly. This is tempering — it raises the egg temperature gradually so they do not scramble.
Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container. This catches any bits of cooked egg and produces a smoother custard.
Divide the custard among the ramekins. Grate a little nutmeg over each. Pour hot water into the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still wobble gently when shaken. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

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