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Whether you’re a fruit, nut, or cream pie fan, a slice of homemade pie tastes even better with classic American accompaniments like a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream brand or a dollop of freshly whipped cream. That said, if you’re willing to explore different culinary horizons, crème anglaise is the sweet French sauce you should make to elevate your homemade pie.
Meaning “English cream” in France, crème anglaise is essentially a pourable vanilla custard consisting of hot milk, sugar, and egg yolks. French desserts from cakes to tarts receive a drizzle of crème anglaise or are served alongside a beautifully presented custardy puddle or smear. Considering milk, sugar, and egg yolks, not to mention the custard itself, are the foundation for American ice cream, it makes sense that vanilla-flavored crème anglaise would work well as a pie accompaniment. You can also use it in conjunction with ice cream or whipped cream for even more extravagance. It’ll add a bakery-worthy presentation to an otherwise bare plate of pie.
We have a recipe for crème anglaise from a New York City pastry chef that uses a 50/50 blend of whole milk and heavy cream for an even richer taste and texture. Because it’s a custard, the method for making crème anglaise requires tempering the egg yolks by adding a portion of the hot, sugary, creamy milk to the egg yolks and whisking to combine before adding the egg mixture to the rest of the hot milk in a pot.
Pairings and cooking tips for crème anglaise
Not only do we have a chef-approved crème anglaise recipe, but the same chef also shared key cooking tips for the best results. According to chef Daniel Skurnick’s tips on how to make crème anglaise, dividing and adding the sugar separately to both the milk mixture and the egg yolks is key to protecting them from burning while they’re heated on the stove. Heat is crucial for melting the sugar and combining the ingredients into a cohesive and creamy sauce. However, timing is everything when it comes to crème anglaise, and that means mere seconds over a heated stove and an equally quick transfer to a container over ice to halt the cooking for fear of scrambling the eggs.
Chef Skurnick also recommends that once you’ve mastered the basics with a recipe ratio of “one cup of milk (liquid) to one cup of cream (fat) to four egg yolks and half a cup of sugar,” then you can start playing around. He suggests that you could swap a portion of the cream and milk for a seasoning of your choice, like fruit preserves or even a dash of soy sauce. This can likewise open the door for even more pie pairings. Of course, vanilla crème anglaise is the perfect complement to fruit pies like this blueberry cobbler or this Dutch apple pie. Vanilla also pairs well with a pecan pie or an egg tart. But you could use a good-quality preserve, like this Bonne Maman cherry preserve or this Bonne Maman raspberry preserve for a fruit-flavored crème anglaise to drizzle over a rich chocolate buttermilk pie or our recipe for double chocolate derby pie with pecans.
