Classic French cuisine is delightful. It mostly consists of the same basic ingredients and somehow they’ve managed to come up with so many different ratios and techniques, that a mere combination of the same components can render vastly different results depending on how they’re used. This Classic Vanilla Crust is no different: it consists of only a handful of staple ingredients that you likely have at home and on its own, it’s the star of the show. But it’s also the base of many other recipes we know and love.

A French Classic

A Classic Vanilla Custard, also known as Crème anglaise for those who are able to pronounce it, is a simple, light, sweet, pouring sauce.

A basic mix of sugar, egg yolk, and milk, it can be poured over fruits or cakes, turning it into a rather low-effort but no less impressive dessert.

As a beverage, it’s served in the form of eggnog. Different techniques will lead a simple custard to vastly different results: it can be baked into a creme brulee, cooked into a pastry cream or thickened into fillings for numerous pastries and desserts.

That is great news for people who can’t have gluten! And for those who want dessert but have no patience or interest in complicated recipes. This wonderful little sauce can be whatever you want it to be, and if you’re looking for something easy that doesn’t involve gluten, you can have dessert in about 20 minutes.

It goes with every season: berries and peaches in the summer, plums and persimmons in the Fall. whatever your heart desires. All you need to do is cook the sauce and then pour it over your favorite fruit. Who says dessert needs to involve hours of planning and prepping?

A Handful of Ingredients

For this Classic Vanilla Custard, you basically need sugar, eggs, milk and vanilla. If you want a richer sauce, you can substitute the milk for heavy cream. That’ll produce a very rich custard. A balance of half milk and half cream is a good measure.

This custard is also a base for many pie fillings as you’ll notice. For a lighter custard, you can use whole eggs. If you’re looking for a thick and smooth custard, use only the yolks.

This recipe is my go-to and I use it to either elevate or accompany some of my favorite recipes, like this Apple Cobbler. Serving a slice of apple cobbler poured with an abundance of vanilla custard is such an easy and effortless way to make a simple homemade recipe so much better. I highly recommend.

Egg yolks are delicate little things that cook very quickly. Make sure to cook the custard over low heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. That’ll prevent the yolks from curdling.

For a lump-free, silky-smooth result, it’s important to pass it through a fine strainer before serving.

This rich sauce is a fairly foolproof recipe and I think it’ll look great at your next dinner party. It can be made ahead of time and served it with fresh fruits and a dollop of creme fraiche or double cream for an even richer dessert. It can be served warm or cold. You can eat it straight out of the saucepan!

If you make this Classic Vanilla Custard, please let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.