Yield: 4 cups
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 8 large egg yolks
Recipe:
- In a medium sauce pot, heat heavy cream and milk to a scald.
- Meanwhile, add the vanilla bean seeds to the sugar and use your fingers to combine the two until the seeds are evenly dispersed. Add the sugar mixture to the egg yolks and whisk until pale.
- Using a ladle, add the heated cream to the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Once the egg mixture reaches the consistency of the diary, add it back to the sauce pot.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the mixture continuously with a wooden spoon until it reaches 170° to 175° F on an instant-read thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can tell the mixture is done by lifting the wooden spoon from the pot and tracing a line with your fingertip on its back. If the line stays separated and thickened, then the mixture is done.
- The custard sauce can be served warm or cooled in a clean bowl set over an ice bath. Once the mixture has reached 40° F, it can be transferred to a clean container and stored for 3 to 4 days.