Pearls, Curls & French Cuisine – Chapter 5: Crème Anglaise

Dearest reader,

The most delicious season is here, also known as, rhubarb pie season! And even though, our cooking angel Julia Child has not included a recipe for the said vegetable, this is no time to panic (however, I was initially shocked) because you can always top it with a bit (or a lot) of crème anglaise straight from the pages of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

So I put on my pearls,

tamed my curls and

turned to page 501 of

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Once I recoverd from the shock of not finding a rhubarb pie recipe in my French cooking bible I pulled myself up from the kitchen floor only to realize that I could always make a sauce sucrée – a sweet sauce in French – to accompany my favourite pie. And that is how I settled for crème anglaise as my sauce of choice which the rest of the world knows simply as vanilla sauce.

As you can imagine, I had never attempted to make any kind of sweet sauce before because, in my mind, the whole idea seemed impossibly difficult. However, since I was not no longer living in the time of past prejudices the thought of a warm crème aglaise on my pie instantly wiped away any suspicions regarding my capabilities as a pastry chef. And just like that, I got to work.

All you need for crème anglaise are:

egg yolks, sugar, milk & vanilla

The Process of Making Crème Anglaise

By now I have learned that the methods of French cooking aren't actually that daunting, however, each dish has its critical points and by succeeding in those you can produce wanted results. For crème anglaise the most important thing, according to Julia Child, is not to let the eggs cook.

So after I had wisked the eggs and sugar into a light yellow paste, I poured in the hot (oat) milk very slowly so that the eggs would have time to adjust to the heat and thus not cook. After that I continued mixing the sauce over the hob on very low heat until it started to get thicker like a sauce. Finally, I added in a tablespoon of vanilla and voilà, our crème anglaise was ready to be served! Once again I was amazed how easy this was in the end.

The Result

It is very important to emphasize the fact that I am not usually a sauce loving girl but, oh my goodness, was crème anglaise mouth-watering! And since the rhubarb pie I made on this particular day wasn't my best, this sauce was a lovely addition on the plate accompanied by homemade merinque made from the left over egg whites.

Furthermore, there surely is something quite sophisticated about having a dash of crème anglaise on a late spring day. As if an eloquent thought was resting on the edge of your unpolished silver spoon turning something ordinary into French. And that, dearest readers, might just become my life's mission.

So this was how heartbreak over the lack of rhubarb pie was mended and faith in French cooking restored with the help of our very own Julia Child. Until next time!

Yours Truly,

Siiri

P.S. if you liked this post tap the heart below, so I know to make more like this!

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Have you ever made sweet sauces like crème anglaise yourself?

How did you find the process?

What should I make next?

Source:

Child, Julia; Bertholle, Louisette & Beck, Simone. (1961). Ranskalaisen keittiön salaisuudet. WSOY 1983