Vanilla Custard Sauce

Posted on by Jeff the Chef

This fancy, French Vanilla Custard Sauce is fairly easy to make, and to make ahead.

Vanilla Custard Sauce
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Vanilla Custard Sauce

Recipe by Make It Like a Man!Course: DessertCuisine: French
Makes

12¼

oz.
Active time

25

minutes
Infusing time

15

minutes
Cooling time

30

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole milk

  • ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

  • 3 egg yolks

  • ¼ cup sugar

Directions

  • Place the milk and vanilla bean into a saucepan and bring to a boil over moderately-high heat.
  • Remove from heat, cover, and allow to infuse for 15 minutes.
  • Find a large, shallow pan that will be able to the accommodate the saucepan. Fill the large pan half-way with water. Add ice.
  • Whisk the yolks and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Slowly pour in half of the milk mixture, while whisking constantly.
  • Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk and stir constantly over low heat until the sauce thickens and reaches 181°F. Immediately place the saucepan into the ice bath to stop cooking. Continue to stir frequently at first, and then intermittently, as you allow the sauce to cool for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the vanilla bean and scrape any remaining seeds into the custard. If necessary, smooth out the sauce with an immersion blender.
"Vanilla Custard Sauce," from Make It Like a Man!

Social Learning

Gaston Lenôtre was one of the most influential pastry chefs of the 20th-century. This custard is my first attempt at cooking one of the recipes from the recent, English-language, Helen Adedotun edition of his seminal work, “Pâtisserie en 10 leçons et 20 recettes.”

This is not a book for the feint of heart. When you cook from it – at least in my initial experience – you feel like you’re being trained, not entertained.

This is not a “quick and easy desserts” book. It assumes that you want to learn seriously. It’s closer to what I’d imagine a culinary school text to be than a lifestyle cookbook.

Vanilla Custard Sauce:

Having said all of that, I found this vanilla custard sauce (AKA crème anglaise) to be a pretty easy thing to make. Unproblematic, too. I suspect it might be one of the easier recipes in the book … but that helped to make it seem like a great place to start. 

It keeps perfectly in the fridge, so it’s an easy make-ahead. However, it is best served chilled (but not cold) or warm (but not hot). Straight from the fridge, a quick whisk and a 10-15 minute stint on the countertop in a warm kitchen will get it into the “chilled” territory. To get it warm, you’ll want constant whisking and a very gentle, gradual heat. Bring it just above room temperature. 

The Backstory

The book covers all of my greatest baking fears: classic pastries (éclairs, Paris‑Brest, mille‑feuille), entremets, tartlets, sauces and creams. It also covers my worst nightmare of all, decorative and finishing techniques. I decided that watching Great British Bake-Off “patisserie week” episodes has intimidated me long enough. I must confront all of this if I’m every going to fake my way through a British accent to wind up on that show.

"Vanilla Custard Sauce," from Make It Like a Man!
Vanilla Custard Sauce

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: Vanilla Custard Sauce, in French Pastries and Desserts by Lenôtre, ed. Helen Adedotun (Paris: Flammarion, S.A., 2021), 86. Thank you, Kesor. Thank you, ⌘+C. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #5 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs. 

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24 thoughts on “Vanilla Custard Sauce”

  1. Man, you are really brave! What a book! I could never. And I’m even more impatient as I get older! But I should make this. Crème Anglaise – I could drink the stuff!

    Reply

  2. My work friends and I take custard seriously. I now live in a city which prides itself on pastries with a custard heart.

    Reply

    1. Oh really! That’s cool! I’ll bet you have very discriminating tastes when it comes to custards, then.

      Reply

  9. A vanilla custard is a much loved dessert in my house. I have a blog post on it as well, but I’m sure it is a simpler approach than your French version. I don’t think those British bake offs are for the faint hearted, and good luck with the accent:)

    Reply

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