Crème Anglaise

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
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.
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.
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