Cardamom Creme Anglaise
Actually a liquid custard made on the stove top, crème anglaise is a classic, ubiquitous dessert cream sauce. Here we’ve added cardamom, which gives it a more complex flavor without interfering too much with its adaptability.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 2 ¼ tbsp (1 oz) Granulated Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice
- 1″ portion of a Bourbon Vanilla Bean*
- 4 Green Cardamom Pods
- *simply cut 1″ off the end of your bean. Save the rest for later, but use it soon as it will dry out faster than a whole bean.
DIRECTIONS
1
Give each of the cardamom pods a good whack with a pan, pestle, heavy spoon or other implement. You don’t need to crack or grind them, only bruise the green shell to release more of the flavorful oils (though if they crack that’s fine).
2
Put the milk and cardamom pods in a small sauce pan. Scrape the inch of vanilla bean and add both the outer pod and the inner seeds to the milk (how to use a vanilla bean).
3
Whisk the sugar into the egg yolks in a bowl.
4
Scald the milk: cook it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until it starts to steam.
5
Temper the milk into the egg yolks: whisking constantly, pour a very small, steady stream of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Once about half the milk has been mixed into the yolks, pour them back into the pan with the rest of the milk & whisk to combine.
6
Return the pan to the stove over low heat. Stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, cook until it has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon.
7
Transfer the cooked crème anglaise to a bowl over an ice bath and stir it to drop the temperature rapidly & stop the cooking process.
8
Strain the crème anglaise through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the vanilla bean pods and cardamom.
9
Store the sauce in your refrigerator until it is thoroughly chilled.
10
Serve with your favorite dessert. It’s particularly good with anything featuring fruit or chocolate flavors.
NOTE: if the sauce comes out too thick or thickens during storage, it can be thinned with a little whole milk.