The crème anglaise, a timeless classic of pastry-making, is loved by many palates for its delicate flavour and velvety texture. Compared with pastry cream, crème anglaise is more fluid and works wonderfully as a sauce to enrich a great many desserts: from simple cat's tongues (langues de chat) to more elaborate desserts such as cakes and mug cakes, or leavened cakes like colomba and panettone.
The key to a perfect crème anglaise lies in respecting the temperatures and paying constant attention during cooking: let's find out right away how to make this delicious cream!
Ingredients
We present three variants of crème anglaise, to choose according to your tastes and needs.
Crème anglaise 100% milk: it will be very light and not very thick, and is suitable for making the base for Bavarian creams, dessert sauces and mousses.
- 500gr fresh whole milk
- 125gr yolk
- 125gr caster sugar
- ½ vanilla pod
- 2gr lemon zest
- 1gr salt
Crème anglaise 50% milk 50% cream: it will be thicker than the previous one and is suitable for making the base for tastier Bavarian creams or for chocolate-rich crémeux.
- 125 g fresh whole milk
- 125 g cream
- 100 g yolk
- 100 g caster sugar
- ½ vanilla pod
- 2 g lemon zest
- 1 g salt
Crème anglaise 100% cream: it will be very thick and tasty thanks to the cream, and is excellent for fruit crémeux or for buttercreams.
- 500 g fresh cream
- 100 g yolk
- 75 g caster sugar
- ½ vanilla pod
- 2 g lemon zest
- 1 g salt
Now that you have chosen which variant to make, we can move on to the method!
Method
- Begin by heating the milk with the cream until it reaches a temperature of 80°C: we recommend using a kitchen thermometer, as in this recipe the temperatures are crucial for a good result.
- In a bowl, combine the yolks, the sugar, the vanilla and the lemon zest and mix with a whisk until you obtain a smooth, creamy mixture.
- Add the mixture to the cream, which by now will have reached the right temperature, and mix everything with a whisk. Cook it all in the microwave up to 83–84°C.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a wide container, then cover it with cling film pressed onto the surface and leave to cool.
Once it has reached room temperature, the crème anglaise will be ready! It keeps in the fridge for 2–3 days.
Questions and answers!
What is the difference between crème anglaise and pastry cream?
The main difference between crème anglaise and pastry cream lies in the composition and the final texture of the two products. Both are classic pastry preparations, but they have distinctive features that make them suitable for different uses:
- Crème anglaise. The crème anglaise has a more liquid texture than pastry cream, due to the absence of flour or corn starch. The crème anglaise thickens thanks to the coagulation of the egg proteins at a controlled temperature, without ever reaching boiling point, to avoid the formation of lumps.
- Pastry cream. The pastry cream is a thick, velvety cream, made with ingredients similar to crème anglaise (milk, egg yolks, sugar), but with the addition of flour or corn starch. These give the pastry cream a thicker, more stable texture, making it ideal as a filling for cakes, choux buns, cannoli and other baked desserts.
Are the temperatures really so important when making crème anglaise?
The crème anglaise is achieved thanks to the controlled coagulation of the yolks at 84°C: since it contains no starches, the only ingredient that thickens crème anglaise is the yolks. The cooking of crème anglaise is delicate and must be done while staying below the critical threshold of 85°C: beyond this temperature the yolks begin to coagulate, separating from the rest of the liquid components and thus producing a graining effect in the cream.
How do you cook crème anglaise?
Crème anglaise can be cooked in various ways; let's look at the most common ones:
- Bain-marie: this is the most delicate and safest method, but also the longest.
- Direct heat: a faster method, but a steel pan and the lowest possible flame are recommended.
- Induction hob: a method similar to the previous one; it is best to cook at 83°C.
- Microwave: this is the simplest and safest method. Put the cream in the oven for 15–30 seconds at a time, stirring and measuring the temperature at each step until it reaches the cooking temperature.
Careful! After cooking, the crème anglaise must be strained immediately into a wide container, covered with cling film pressed onto the surface and cooled quickly.
A few tips on the ingredients
- Liquid part. Milk is the main part and must be fresh and whole. In addition, or as a substitute, you can use fresh cream: thanks to its fat content (35%) it produces a more structured, creamier crème anglaise;
- Sugars. Go for caster sugar and avoid icing sugar. Alternatively, you can use raw cane sugar, to obtain a crème anglaise with a pleasant molasses flavour, or honey.
- Yolk. The starting percentage is 12–15% of the total ingredients, but if you want a thicker cream you will need to add more yolks.
- Salt. Never to be forgotten when making desserts, salt should be used in very small quantities so as to enhance the sweet taste of the ingredients.
- Flavourings. You can use whatever flavourings you like; we recommend vanilla pods (1 pod per 1 litre of liquid) or finely grated lemon zest to please every palate. Alternatively, you can use coffee beans (chopped and left to infuse in the boiling milk), chocolate (after cooking, before cooling) or liqueur (after cooking, during the cooling stage).
The crème anglaise combines simplicity and refinement in a sauce with a delicate flavour and a velvety texture. Its versatility makes it indispensable in the kitchen, since it is able to turn a simple dessert into a culinary work of art. Whether served on its own, as a base for more complex desserts or as an enriching element for other delicacies, the crème anglaise invites you to explore pastry-making with creativity and passion. That's all from us for today, but we can't wait to see your creations and the pairings you will invent for your crème anglaise!
Blog by Enrico Gumirato, pastry chef and trainer
